KFP: Drabble Edition!
by who smiles
Summary: One hundred drabbles about varying topics and characters in the world of Kung Fu Panda. Chapter 28- "After the Darkest Night Comes the Brightest Dawn" - It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, and at the end of the day, they were together.
1. Chapter 1

**Ah, I've returned, with another story. What? A way to get out of writing Heart of a Warrior? Psh…nooo…eh…anyway…**

**I bring you KFP: Drabble Edition!**

**#87: Obsession**

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><p>Firstly, an angry panda thought as he listened to the hysterical laughter around him, it's not an obsession; it's a dedication. Secondly, since when had he become the punch line for everything? He was pretty sure they had jumped a stepping stone by finally getting over that.<p>

But as he now found horribly obvious, they were jumping right back on that stone.

"It's not that funny," Po grumbled, wishing he could bury his face in his bowl of tofu. He avoided eye contact with the Five, namely Tigress, who seemed to be contemplating laughing as hard as the others, or the damage she could do to his face with her chopsticks.

"Yes! Yes it is!" Mantis could only manage between spurts of laughter.

"Stop!" Monkey grabbed his sides. "You're killing me!"

"I hate you guys so much right now."

The comment only drew more laughter of the 'tormentors'. Crane had been doing his best not to show his amusement as loudly as Mantis or Monkey, but even then was laughing fairly hard. Viper had tried being the voice of reason, she really did, but it was only a matter of moments before she was suppressing giggles herself.

"You know what he _doesn't _hate?"

The enraged glint in Po's eye only said one thing: Don't finish that joke.

"His _Love Chunk!" _

Oh, that insect could _go to hell_.

As more guffaws followed the stupid pun, Po could literally feel the humiliation welling up in his face. Out of pure aggravation, he snapped his chopsticks in halves, failing to notice the look of stunned shock on Tigress' face. If anything, she actually looked just as embarrassed as he felt about the whole thing.

'Thing' being the awkward confession he'd been forced into saying.

Po's first day at the Jade Palace was literally the day when his dreams came true. Or, started coming true anyway. Even if he was being dissed (constantly, he reminded himself gruffly) that day was seriously memorable. So of course he kept something from it; something that just happened to be the small—no, _tiny _chunk of glass that had landed on his head after Tigress' completed that perfect split.

No, that did not make him a Tigress fanboy. Hence him saying dedication rather then obsession.

And 'Love Chunk' was bit below Mantis' usual insulting standards. Not exactly the cleverest name in that minute bug brain of his…

"It's not a Love Chunk!" Definitely below standard. He felt stupid by simply saying it.

His outraged cries were ignored, as expected. Viper, the supposed nice one, finally calmed herself…

…Just long enough to quip, "Aw look, _Tigress _is blushing!"

Gasps met the comment, and silence followed close behind. Finally more guffaws, perhaps with more gusto this time, filled the quiet air.

"It's too much! I'm dead! You have killed me!"

"_So _worth dying after this!"

The pandas' and tigers gazed met awkwardly. "Team up?" Po offered.

"Just this once," Tigress agreed, looking a bit more colored in the face then usual.

Nonetheless, as Master Shifu strolled peacefully down the hall, he was nearly trampled as a snake, praying mantis, monkey, and crane came blitzing around him, hooting with laughter as they were chased by a flustered looking panda and tiger, yelling something about a love chunk.

His expression that of a confused soul, Shifu blinked rapidly. "I...no. No, I don't want to know." He spun on his heel, and walked in the opposite direction the said party was going.


	2. Chapter 2

**_I return, with another drabble! I'm using a drabble prompt list btw (don't know the name though) and there are 100 prompts...so this lil collection will probably end up being 100 stories long._**

**_...0_0 wish me luck_**

**_BTW- Sorry if these are short. I'm finding it insanely hard to get them past 1,000 words for some reason_**

**_I give you:_**

**_#48: Flowers_**

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><p>"Chivalry is not yet dead; make sure you don't forget that."<p>

Po was literally leaning on the edge of his seat as he strived for every word the snake in front of him was saying. Occasionally, he would nod eagerly and repeat her words aloud.

"Be sweet and sincere. Don't act like someone you're not." Viper maintained a serious face as she looked the panda dead in the eyes. "You can cook. Use that to your advantage."

"What? How? What if she doesn't like noodles?"

"Po, _everyone _likes your noodles. When you retire Kung Fu, you could be a noodle god," the snake replied sweetly.

"R-really? That's an a-awfully nice thing to say Viper…"

"No, stop! Save your adorable stuttering for your date. She'll melt for that."

The panda's eyes widened. "R-really?"

"Absolutely." Viper paused to think, then gave Po a satisfied smile. "As far as I'm concerned, that's really it. Po, you're ready for this date."

A look of anxiety passing his features, Po drummed his fingers against his belly. "I…I dunno Viper, I'm starting to rethink this…What if she doesn't have…y'know…have fun? That's all I really want…for her to be happy..."

"Then you try again, and you keep trying until she does have fun and has never been happier."

"But what if—"

"Listen, you can drown in your 'what ifs' till the cows come home, but that won't get you anywhere. You can't chicken out before you even try. You're more then ready for this date." The tree viper nudged Po affectionately.

Nervousness was replaced by bewilderment. "You think so?"

Viper smiled knowingly. "I know so. You've been planning this date for nearly a week, Po. I've never seen anyone be so thorough before."

Po relaxed into his natural smile, eyes full of gratitude. "You're really awesome for doing this, Viper."

"And you're awesome for taking Tigress out. Now go; she's waiting for you!" Mock anger in her gestures, Viper waved her tail at him, shooing him out of her dormitory.

"Right!" Po jumped up from his chair and scrambled out the door, only to return a few seconds later. "The flowers! Where'd I put them?"

Nonchalantly, Viper handed him a bouquet of tiger lilies; Tigress' personal favorite. "Don't worry, I've got you."

"I seriously owe you one Viper!" Po called over is shoulder as he, once again, ran out of the room. She simply nodded in response. Viper's happy smile fell the moment she was sure he was gone. The grin morphed into a grimace, as she gritted her teeth and shut her eyes tightly.

"Tigress has no idea how lucky she is," she hissed enviously. "The man got her flowers! I swear, if she hurts him…" However, she couldn't finish the threat. She _knew _Tigress wouldn't hurt Po- not emotionally anyway. Even if the tiger would never admit it, Viper knew love when she saw it, and Tigress definitely had it for Po.

And, as a tear slid down her scaly cheek, she knew Po felt the same way. He would love Tigress with all his heart, leaving no room for another girl to slither her way in.

The flowers only helped seal the deal.


	3. Chapter 3

**...And to follow up on last chapter that kind of made you want to smile and cry at the same time, this one will just make you smile! Tell me if you see any errors in this one, I kind of skimmed it but proofreading just...ick.**

**I'll admit it...I sort of, kind of cheated on this one. But hey, it matches the prompt and- oh look, a monkey!**

**#49: More**

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><p>There were a few things Master Tigress never let herself do.<p>

The first one was smile, but that wasn't on purpose. Life hadn't given her anything to smile about, so why would she?

The second was show of affection. Call it childish, but she hated the feeling of hugging someone, or (shudder) _kissing _someone…oh…that was much too graphic to even think about. Gongmen City was something differently entirely; she only hugged Po to calm him down. Nothing more. Or, at least, that's what she told herself.

Lastly, she never, as in not once, let herself be late. She loathed tardiness with every fiber of her being.

Knowing these personal rules, it made sense why she was so intent of tearing her room to shreds.

"Where did it go? It was here last year!" Tigress whispered to herself, a hint of panic creeping into her voice. "I _swear_ it was!"

She shuffled through a wooden chest, practically throwing the drawers across the room. She _had _to find this box. Her life depended on it.

Okay, maybe not her life…but her date did.

Remember rule two of What Tigress Doesn't Do? There were a few loopholes... She hated showing affection, yes, but be realistic. She hadn't been asked on a date since she was a teenager and…

…if said 'asker' was the Dragon Warrior…it was rather hard to pass up the offer.

"Found it." Tigress sat back in relief, holding a small wooden box in her hands. Barely breathing, she opened it and smiled at what was inside.

A silver necklace. Very simply really, but it was a treasure to her. Carefully she held it up but its shiny chain. The amulet on the chain was made of pure silver as well, an jade stone filling its center and a characteristic carved the silver around it.

**母老虎** (Tigress)

It was cheesy, to say the least, but it meant so much to her. It was given to her by Master Oogway when she was only a young girl, newly adopted by Master Shifu. After the old turtle's heartbreaking death, she had grown to love it even more.

Slowly, Tigress slipped the amulet around her neck. She stood up, promising to clean the mess she had made while searching later.

After her date.

_Date._

As a female, she had the overpowering need to squee at the mere thought of the word. As a kung fu master, she had the pride not to do anything of the sort.

Tigress looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn't sure what to think of the woman staring back at her. She wore her silver vest, the one saved for special occasions (all comments on that would be ignored) and her usual black silk pants. No makeup, because she wasn't that kind of person, and frankly it just got matted in her fur.

Her appearance wasn't what was different. It was…it was something else…

Whatever it was, she wanted more of it. Tigress was sure she had never felt this way before; this feeling that was exhilarating and surprising and satisfying all at the same time. She honestly wasn't sure what it was supposed to be called…maybe she would ask Viper about it at some other time.

A soft tapping on the door brought the tiger back into reality. "Uh….um….ahem…Tigress? Are you…you…r-ready?"

Thankfully yes, she was ready. Just in time too; a moment's more time would have made her late.

"Coming, Po," she replied calmly as she left her reflection to open the door of her bedroom.

The first thought that came to mind when she saw the panda's new attire was, _He cleans up nicely._

Po nearly dropped the bouquet of flowers he seemed to be clutching for dear life. "Wow! You l-look…" his green eyes passed over her in a way that almost, emphasis on _almost_, made her blush. "…breathtaking," Po finished. He gave her a lopsided smile.

"Thank you," Tigress said, walking past him in the hallway.

She had a name for that feeling now. It was called feeling beautiful. Actually feeling and experiencing being breathtakingly beautiful.

Remember rule one? Down the drain; for Tigress was smiling. Not just any smile either, this was a broad smile that reached her eyes and gave her the appearance of laughing without making a sound. If possible, it made her look even more beautiful then before.

The smile only brightened as the nervous panda handed her the flowers.

Tiger lilies. Oh, Po was _good._

"These are my favorite," she breathed; surprised, but happy.

"…I'd say something in reply, but I have a feeling you're not one for cheesy pickup lines."

Laughing quietly, it suddenly felt like Gongmen City all over again. Without even thinking about it, Tigress stepped forward and threw her arms around Po's shoulders. After a moment's hesitation, she felt his arms wrap around her waist, hugging her back.

And goodbye to rule the second.

But, as she and Po made their way down the Palace steps, laughing and generally just enjoying each other's company, Tigress decided that she really ought to break her rules more often.


	4. Chapter 4

**'Ello mates! You enjoyin' these stories? Good! **

**FFcrazy15: You might want to go to a dentist xD**

**HotdoginaPineappleworld: Can I just tell you that I love your username? Like, a lot? **

**Eatingadonut: oh stop *blushes* But seriously, thank you, I'm flattered. Wait- someone used that word instead of Tigress? 0_0**

**And now that I've done that (because I'm too lazy to send a PM) Here's the next installment! For this one, you must know that nushi is the English equivalent of an unmarried woman. **

**#20: Family**

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><p>A cloaked figure runs through the dark streets of the Valley, trying desperately not to cause noise and awaken anyone. They must not be seen, or else the mission will be in jeopardy.<p>

Before them, their destination comes into view. They pick up their speed, and soon arrive at the Thousand Steps that lead to Jade Palace.

They push their hood back, blue eyes widening at an alarming rate. "I am going to _die_ after this!" Quickly, they cover their mouth and dive into a nearby bush, just incase anyone had heard. When no stranger came about, the figure rolls out of the shrubs and faces the staircase once again.

Murmuring curses, they begin the climb up the steps.

The sun is hanging high in the sky when a thick black hand pulls its owner up the last steps. Huffing, the cloaked one struggles for breath. After a few minutes of this hopeless panting, they shift onto their large belly, and then into a standing position. "Chongan did not even bother to warn me about this," the stranger sighs.

The thought of her fiancé leads to many more questions. Why hadn't he made the trip himself? Was he simply too lazy? Did he not want to see his brother?

Were they not family?

"Who are you?"

The stranger jumps, clutching her heart as she nearly stumbles over the edge of the steps. In front of the Palace doors stands the famous Master Crane, gracefully balancing on one stocky leg, head tilted to the side. He is alone, thank gods, but still fairly intimidating.

She scrambles into a bow, hood covering her face as she dips towards the ground. "M-my apologize Master Crane. I am…just a villager…"

Master Crane's features take a more relaxed expression upon hearing this. "What's your name?"

"Jiao." The stranger's eyes widen at the ground—why didn't she lie? Too late now; she had to continue. "Ngau Jiao."

"It's nice to meet you then, Ngau Nǚushì," Master Crane replies, with a slight bow of his head.

Jiao chuckles quietly, finally raising herself into a standing position. Her hood falls off her face again, and as she watched Master Crane's eyes nearly pop out of his head, states, "Actually, I'm to be married; Ngau is my fiance's surname. Please though, Master Crane, call me Jiao."

"Y-you're…you're a…"

"Panda, yes, I am. But please, keep your voice down; my visit must be a secret. It is not yet time for my people to expose themselves."

"Are you aware of the fact that you should be dead?"

The female panda nods solemnly. "I am aware of the attack on my village by Lord Shen. However, news travels fast. The lord of our village, Lord Ngau, received word of the peacock's death." Jiao's fists clench suddenly. "Thank you very much for ending Shen. He was once a monster that could terrorize us at any time, but now he can only haunt our dreams."

Master Crane swallows; it's an audible sound, and Jiao realizes he is nervous. "Is that any better?"

Her fists unclench as she smiles lightly. "At least in our dreams he can do us no physical harm," she says, nostalgia in her tone. Resuming her serious expression, Jiao pulls a scroll from her cloak. "I have news for the Dragon Warrior concerning his brother."

"Po has a brother?"

Jiao nods before continuing, "It is an invitation to his wedding."

"_His brother is getting married?"_

"Yes; and soon. It is understandable if said Dragon Warrior does not wish to come—"

Master Crane's bent leg suddenly slams against the ground. "He would love to come; I know that much already. But why aren't you the one to tell him this?"

Jiao smiles again, this time a tear forming in her eye. "When I finally meet the Dragon Warrior, I wish to introduce myself as his sister-in-law."

Crane only gapes in response.

"Please, tell him Master Crane. That would…mean a lot to me and my people."

"Uh-Yes, of course! Anything for Po's sister!"

"I'm not yet his sis—" but the avian has already left; flying elegantly over the Palace walls. Jiao smiles as she watches his leave, tugging the hood over her head again. As far as Master Crane is concerned, she is already part of Po's family.


	5. Chapter 5

**You guys are such nice reviewers! As of now, I don't think I'll be continuing the story from last chapter…unless inspiration decides to punch me in the face, but I doubt that'll happen. **

**Have you seen the new little sneak peek for Legends of Awesomeness (the upcoming KFP TV show)?**

**It's pretty funny; especially the title sequence and nun-chuck scene…but…Tigress' voice is…**_**really**_** jacked up. Angelina Jolie is better -_-**

**Po's voice is **_**awesome**_**. I almost though it was Jack Black at first. Monkey and Crane's though? Not so much…**

**We didn't get to hear Viper. I hope she isn't messed up too. Shifu and Mantis are the original VAs from the film, so they're good.**

_[rant] Tigress is soooooo OOC zomg I'm going to kill something AARRGHHHHH [/end rant]_

***Ahem* I'm sorry you had to witness that. Anyway...**

**This is based on my opinion of the new series, so I highly advise looking it up before reading this. I also suggest you get your glue ready because the fourth wall is gonna need a serious repair job after this.**

**#1: New**

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><p>To anyone watching, it seemed that the famous Dragon Warrior was in deep concentration. Meditating, despite his eyes being wide open; probably thinking of new special moves he could use in battle. Maybe even linking his soul with the universe.<p>

In other words, being silently awesome.

To Po, he was doing nothing of the sort. He was trying to look at his tongue.

As crazy as that sounded, it was true. He was desperately trying to stick his tongue out far enough for him to get a good look at it. There was a method to his madness, however unlikely it seemed to be.

For about a week now, his voice was feeling…off. It was easy to miss unless you listened very closely to him while he spoke, but it was there alright. He didn't sound the same. And he could _feel _it—the difference that is. That, for the most part, was not normal in every way possible.

"Okay th'ongue," the bear muttered, "thi'th will be a th'ot ea-zee-uh if you would th'ust lemme look at you…"

"Are you talking to yourself?"

The panda nearly chomped his tongue in half, startled by the sudden voice in front of him. He'd been so engrossed in looking – and talking – to his own tongue; he didn't notice the feline master approach him.

"_You bet I am_," Po stated proudly, slurping his tongue back inside his mouth. "Have you been watching me this whole time, Tigress?"

"Maybe…" Tigress said ominously as she sat down in front of Po. The summer sun hung brightly overhead the two friends. "Why are you talking to your tongue…?"

"Because it's sick!" Po exclaimed. Tigress gave him a strange look, and he chuckled before elaborating, "Okay, so maybe not sick. But something's wrong with it. It's making my voice sound weird."

"I dunno what you're talking about. You sound okay to me."

What Po did next answered her question with a big, fat _no. _The panda pointed an accusatory finger at her mouth, and in the most serious voice he could muster demanded, "Who are you and what have you done to Tigress' voice?"

"…What?"

"Listen to yourself! You sound all…weird…and less serious! No offense by the way; the serious think totally fits you."

Pushing his hand away, Tigress raised her eyebrows at him. "What are you talking about?"

"How can I explain this…uh—quick! Say something Tigressy!"

"Whaddya mean by Tigressy?"

It was like she'd cut off her own tail and tried to feed it to him. Po pulled away from her with a look of horror on his face. "You hear it? That's definitely _not_ Tigressy! You're supposed to be all serious, not 'whaddya'! Isn't it like, _forbidden _for you to not pronounce every syllable?"

"Excuse me?"

The panda then leaned forward, peering closely at her throat. "D'you think a virus is going around? I'm pretty sure some of the others sound different too…"

In a manner that could only be described to be pure, untainted confusion, Tigress cocked her head to the side. "What the heck are you saying?"

Po ignored her, sitting back on his hunches and acquiring a thinking face. "Actually, now that you mention it, only Mantis and Master Shifu still sound like themselves."

"—I didn't mention anything—"

"Maybe it's because it's all peaceful and such!" Alarmed, Po grasped both sides of his face. "What if we're getting sick because there's no one for us to beat up! Like…kung fu deprivation! Or, ohmigosh, _or _what if there's this whole new—OW!"

At that point, Tigress simply reached out and slapped Po across his cheek, a blank look on her face.

Po glared at her and cradled his cheek. "What was that for?"

Slowly, the tiger leaned forward and pointed at herself. Enunciating her words as much as possible, she said, "I. Like. My. New. Voice. _Deal with it_." Without waiting for a response from the panda, Tigress pulled herself to her feet and walked away.

"…wait _new voice? _Like, you had an old one? Is this gonna be a permanent thing?" Po jumped to his feet and ran after her, calling, "Wait, Tigress, what do you mean by new?"

"Don't make me slap you again."

"Then tell me what you meant by new! Tell me; tell me; tell me— **_OW_!"**

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><p>As Po finished his weird tale to explain why he couldn't feel the right side of his face, Monkey looked at him strangely. The simian opened his mouth to say something, paused, then asked, "Does my voice really sound that weird?"<p>

"Yes. _Yes it does."_


	6. Chapter 6

**Ahh! Hi!**

**alicehatter: glad I made you laugh x) and OMG YES BRING BACK ANGELINA. Don't worry, I won't report you for that :)**

**Eatingadonut: I made a Hamlet reference 0_0 Am I really that funny? aw shucks...and I thought I was just being stupid... PS- Unless I got this whole biology thing wrong, I am 110% _girl_!**

**GUYS I NEED HELP. Choose a number between 10 and 20 with who you want in the next chapter and put it in your next review!**

**AND NOW...Do you want another chapter? YOU DO?**

**Well you don't get one.**

**...**

**JUST KIDDING! Here ya go!**

**#59 Stars**

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><p>Despite his small size, Mantis was an amazing martial artist. He was far stronger then Po, though that was saying much, and faster then Tigress when he really tried. It was only a matter of time before he was asked to teach a new student, right?<p>

He should have been honored when the fateful day came and he was practically _begged_ to teach Kung Fu.

And he was…until he met the student.

She – yes, she, as in a female, which her father had cleverly left out – was quiet, and soft spoken and shy. She wasn't strong or fast or even remotely aggressive. The slightest breeze would knock her over easily; and she would simply lie in the ground and whimper rather then get back up.

Mantis was stuck on trying to figure out how they could be of the same species.

But, as brash as he was, Mantis was far too polite to say no the pleading father, and agreed to teach her.

Today was the first day of training, and he decided to go easy on her by starting in a beautiful environment. Nearby was a calming waterfall, and they were surrounded by the greenest trees and most beautiful plants, which hung overhead like a canopy, leaving only slivers of sunlight to shine through the leaves.

Puffing out his chest and trying to sound as confident as Master Shifu always did, Mantis faced the quivering girl, who was nearly going into a panic attack on a small rock, and asked, "Why do you want to learn kung fu?"

The female preying mantis mumbled something at the ground.

"I can't hear you."

Only slightly louder this time, the girl looked up and said, "My name is Mei."

"You want to learn because your name is Mei?"

"N-no…you…you didn't ask me what my name was…and I thought it was important so…" her voice got progressively softer as her gaze fell to the ground again. "…my name is Mei."

With a shrug, Mantis decided that he probably should have asked her name first. Oh well; he learned from his mistakes. "Okay then Mei, why do you—"

"What's your name?" Mei asked. Realizing she'd interrupted her teacher, her pincher quickly flew over her mouth. "S-sorry! I…I didn't mean to interrupt…gods…I'm so stupid…"

Aw man, she had low self-esteem as well? This was going to be impossible! "You're not stupid; you just didn't hear me. And I'm not mad, so don't worry about it," Mantis said.

When Mei responded with another unintelligible mumble, he felt is eye begin to twitch. "You're going to have to speak up for this to work."

Mei squeaked, before repeating (in a voice that would've been yelling for her) "You never answered my question."

"What ques—or right. Just call me Master Mantis, okay?" Mei nodded, albeit uncertainly. "So tell me Mei; why do you want to learn Kung Fu?"

"M-my father said it would…make me likeable and…and…" The girl's voice started to break. "…and give a man a reason to…to marry me one day…because now I'm useless and—" at the point she started to cry, and couldn't continue.

Mantis immediately knew a few things; the first being he didn't have the patience to deal with this girl, and the second being her father was a real jerk and a liar as well. The third was a fact that made him want to bang his head on a tree. Repeatedly.

He was going to need help.

"This isn't working," Mantis stated flatly. "I can't teach you."

Mei began crying harder.

"…I can't teach you _now _anyways."

"Wha…?"

Jumping down from the rock they had been perched on, Mantis smiled mischievously. "Obviously, you're going to need, eh, _special attention _in order to turn you into a Kung Fu master. Meet me here when the sun is setting; then we'll get started."

Mei sniffled and nodded, which Mantis took as his cue to leave that place at top speed. He needed a way to teach Mei by evening- and a needed one _fast_.

**0o0**

Sunset arrived, and sure enough, Mei was waiting patiently for Mantis to come teach. She sat on the same rock as before, though this time she wasn't crying.

Mantis saw her long before she could see him. He was trying to remember everything Crane had told him earlier:

"_I'm sorry, what was that?"_

_Mantis grimaced at his avian friend. "I need your help," he mumbled through clenched teeth._

"_Louder please?"_

"_I need your help!" Mantis exclaimed, much to the satisfaction of Crane. The tall bird smiled smugly. He dropped the grin quickly, seeing the murderous expression on Mantis' face._

"_What's wrong? Wait, let me guess, this has to do with Tao Mei?"_

_Mantis sighed into his bowl of noodles. "How'd you guess?"_

"_I've heard of her. She seems like the kind of person who needs a patient teacher—which reminds me, why did her father ask _you _of all people?"_

"_What you do mean by that?" Mantis asked indignantly._

"_I mean…well…you're not exactly amiable towards the slower population," Crane explained, trying not to be offensive. _

_Mantis grimaced again, pointing is chopsticks angrily at the bird. "Are you going to help me or insult me?"_

_As brutally honest as Crane was, he was still considered to be one of Mantis' closest friends. Of course he was going to help him! "She's not going to learn in the conventional manner—"_

"_Obviously."_

"—_so you'll have to do something different. But, before you even try to teach her how to throw a punch, you have to build her self-esteem." Dipping his head sheepishly, Crane continued, "I can tell you from a first-hand experience, she's not going to try anything with out any confidence."_

_It was part of Mantis' nature to make a sarcastic quip to this, but he kept quiet; mostly because he didn't want to scare Crane away. "How am I supposed to do that?"_

"_I don't know. Lord Tao asked you to figure that out, not me."_

"_You're not helping. At all."_

"_You'll come up with something. Think: stars."_

"_What?"_

_Instead of replying, Crane had gone back to his lunch, and refused to say another word._

"M-Master Mantis?"

Mantis looked up; without realizing it he had continuing walking and was about to run into the rock Mei was sitting on. "Good, you're here."

"Yes…I guess I am…"

The sun was going down quickly, and the beginning of night sounds were chorusing behind them. Mei was watching him curiously, and for the first time he noticed her eyes weren't as a loud yellow as his, but more of a soft gold. For a single moment, Mantis lost control of all motor functions; as Mei was really living up to name.

"Master Mantis?"

"Call me Kuai!" Mantis blurted out. "It's my given name," he added, seeing the rather scared look on Mei's face.

"You…will let me call you by your given name?"

Mantis nodded a bit too eagerly. "Uh, yeah. It's not a big deal; most of my friends call me that…sometimes."

A long silence fell as soon as the words left his mouth, and Mantis realized the implications of what he'd said.

Mei's eyes widened as she stuttered, "You…you would…consider me – your student – a fr-friend?"

"Yeah, 'course! We've got to have some kind of relationship, and frankly the whole 'student and master' thing isn't really my style."

With that being said, he hopped onto the rock and took a seat next to her. "You never answered my question earlier. Why do you want to learn kung fu?" he asked quietly. The sun had hidden under the horizon, and the moon took its place in the sky.

"I-I told you, my f-father—"

"No, I want to know why _you _want to learn, not why your dad's making you learn."

Another silence fell as Mei bit her lip to think. "…I…well, I've heard that…th-that kung fu builds con-confidence."

Mantis had to wait a full minute before the urge to make a rude comment went away.

"Actually, it does. My friend used to be the weak, dorky, nerd before he learned. Now he's a master, and he's _almost_ cool."

Much to his surprise, Mei giggled quietly at his words. Mantis then realized his jaw was hanging open, and shut it quickly. "In all seriousness though, it's time for us to train."

The giggle disappeared and morphed into a scared squeak. "Tr-train?"

"Don't be so scared. All you have to do is close your eyes."

"What?"

"Just do it."

Even if she was confused, Mei trusted Master Man-er, Kuai. She closed her eyes. Mantis pulled her onto her feet, holding onto her 'hand' (so to speak) tightly. They walked for a few minutes, before Mantis came to an abrupt stop.

"You can open your eyes now," Mantis whispered.

Mei did as she was told. Her jaw dropped and she gasped quietly.

Kuai had lead her to a clearing; in front of them was a pool, reflecting the moon perfectly. Unlike before, trees hardly covered up the sky. The dark color of the night was only interrupted by thousands of small twinkling lights.

"Oh…oh my gods…" Mei breathed, amazed. She had never seen so many stars all at once before.

Mantis smiled, but quickly let go of her and coughed awkwardly. "I thought you might like it here."

"Wha…what is this place?"

"Let's call it my secret hideout. I come here to train on my own sometimes."

"This is so…" a broad grin erupted on Mei's face, "Awesome! This is beautiful, Master Kuai! I…oh my gods…have there always been this many stars?"

Mantis blinked; that was the wordiest thing Mei had said all day. "Yeah," he said, "In fact, there's even more then you can see. Billions of 'em."

"_No way,"_ Mei said, with the excitement of a little kid.

"But that's not even the best part. Do you know what they say about stars?"

Mei shook her head, excitement growing as she waited for Mantis to finish.

"They're like snowflakes; no two are the same. And, please excuse all amounts of corniness in what I'm about to say, everybody is like a star. No one's the same. It made me think; you won't be able to learn kung fu the way I did, but that's not a bad thing. Even though each star is different, they all shine, right?

"When the Dragon Warrior came here to train, he was the _biggest joke_ I'd ever seen. But I was looking at it the wrong way. He was simply different from me, but that didn't make him worse. He had to learn in his own way, and when he did, he showed _everyone _that different isn't the same as bad. Earlier today, I though about giving up on you; you weren't like me, and I thought that meant you wouldn't be able to learn. But after I...talked to my friend I realized I just need to as you to prove me wrong, like Po did."

If that didn't make Mantis sound like a scholar, nothing would.

Mei nodded, slowly, in obvious awe. "So…y-you _will_ teach me kung fu?"

"Of course I will! But before I do that, I have to learn too—about who you are. Is Tao Mei really just a shy girl that no one would like, who stutters and cries in the daylight—"

At the point, Mantis swallowed hard and took her 'hand' again.

"—or the excited, eager girl that smiles and geeks out at night?"

_I should write poetry, _Mantis thought as he awaited her answer, _Romantic poetry. I'd be amazing at it._ Mei looked at her 'hand' then right into Mantis' eyes; something she wouldn't have dared to do before.

"I…she…" her voice faltered. "N-no one has ever asked me that before. I…I don't know…who I am right now…"

Disappointment practically radiated off Mantis.

"…but I do know," Mei took in a deep breath, a sly grin taking over her face, "th-that I _will_ prove you wrong."

An unmistakable glint in his eyes, Mantis smirked. "Oh, really now?"

"Yes, Master Kuai."

"Good. That's what I like to hear."


	7. Chapter 7

**I couldn't resist. Mei was just too fun to write about for only one drabble, even if it took forever to come up with a good idea.**

**And thirty extra awesome points to whoever can tell me where the last scene came from!**

**#60: Judging**

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><p>"Tao Mei!"<p>

"Y-yes sir?"

"ARE YOU READY?"

"Yessir!"

"Then show 'em what you've got!"

The female mantis bowed stoically, doing her best to ignore the six masters supervising her. This was it. It was time to put her six months of vigorous training into use.

Okay, maybe not vigorous in the normal sense. But for her, being forced to meet the eyes of people when she spoke to them, and live amongst the greatest masters in the Valley without fainting every time she saw them was pretty vigorous.

She was going to perform her kata and prove to them that she was worthy enough to learn the other styles, instead of just mantis style. She wasn't going to let Kuai down this time; not after he'd worked so hard to make her good.

Speaking of Master, he dropped his false announcing voice and gave her an encouraging smile. "You're ready for this," he whispered.

"I really don't think I am, Kuai." Mei stared at the ground and gulped. So much for her little pep-talk.

"Yeah you are! You are a star, Mei, as in you shine bright enough to be seen from a million miles away. If that doesn't mean ready, nothing does!"

Mei's head jerked up suddenly, eyes wide. "...uh..." A soft blush crept onto her face.

"Wow. I've never given this many cheesy speeches in my life, let alone six months."

He cracked a smile, instantly relaxing Mei. Turning to her supervisors, she bowed again, thus time touching her forehead to the ground.

She wetted her lips, and began the words she'd grown accustomed to saying. "Masters of the Jade Palace...and, uh, Dragon Warrior, I am ho-honored to present my skills to you today... I hope you," her voice squeaked, "a-are not disappointed."

Mei stood up abruptly, unable to meet the eyes of anyone. Her arms- no, her whole body was shaking as she began to hyperventilate. The piercing gazes of everyone were like knives on her back...she couldn't do this; not while they were judging her, waiting for her every move, analyzing all her mistakes.

What if she screwed up? Or made too many mistakes and got rejected?

_Again!_

It wasn't very surprising when she collapsed in a dead faint.

There was an echoing slap as her face hit the ground. Mantis cursed loudly, face palming and turning to his friends.

"I swear she was ready. She _is_ready. Just wait for her to-"

"Mantis," Master Shifu interjected, "It has only been six months. You cannot rush Tao Mei into something she is not yet ready for."

"But Master, she is-"

Viper jumped in then, sadly saying, "Master is right, Mantis. I don't think Mei can do this yet."

"But she can!"

"She's out cold!" Po replied, gesturing at the fallen girl.

"Wait for her to wake up! I swear to you, Mei is ready."

"Just like the _five_other times she's been 'ready'?"

Tigress' harsh jab drew silence from the insect. He glared at her a moment, then huffed, "This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. You let me get this girl- this amazing girl's hopes up, just to scare her out of her wits _six_ times? Way to build up her _non-existent _ego!"

"Mantis, you're overreacting," Crane said calmly.

"Overre- _overreacting_? Do you not understand how much I..."

Mantis trailed off, suddenly unable to continue. He growled and turned, picking up Mei carefully and leaving the training hall without another word.

Silence followed his exit, before Viper hung her head in a depressed manner. "He's right. Maybe we shouldn't be so intimidating next time."

Tigress crossed her arms, irritated. "No, he wasn't right. He was acting as if we were judging him rather then Tao Mei."

"We were! A master is only as good as his student, remember?" Po said quickly, frowning and rubbing his temples.

Monkey gave a derisive snort. "Who says they'll be a next time? That's six audiences Mantis has called now; and each one ends the same way: _badly."_

Crane grimaced at the bickering. "I say we give her one more chance." He raised his wings, silencing all objections. "Just hear me out, please?"

A moment of thoughtfully silence, then Shifu nodded for Crane to continue.

"Mantis obviously thinks Tao Mei is capable of mastering kung fu, and as his friends we should trust him and his judgment, no matter how unreasonable it may be."

"Crane—"

"_No matter how unreasonable it may be_," the avian repeated pointedly.

**0o0**

When Mei came to, she was lying on her bedroll. She blinked a few times, sitting up and looking around her sleep quarters.

She didn't remember going to bed. In fact, the only thing she remembered was preparing to do her kata…

Oh no. Oh gods no…

Panicked, Mei leaped off her mat, racing into the hall and whipping her head around. "K-Kuai?" she called softly. When no answer came, she ran quickly to his room and knocked softly on the door. "Kuai?"

The door slid openly after a moment. "What?"

"Did I…what happened?"

"You screwed up," Mantis said flatly, "again."

Reality was like a slap to the face. Mei shook her head, looking terrified. "No…oh gods, Kuai, I'm so, so sorry."

Mantis shrugged. His eyes didn't twinkle like they usually did; they looked cold and dark and disappointed. "It's Mantis."

"Wha…?"

"Call me Master Mantis." He paused, then added, "You should go."

"K-Master Mantis, you have to give me another chance. I-I need kung fu!"

"By morning. Teaching you is impossible."

Mei was crying now, thick tears that rolled down her cheeks and clouded her vision. "You don't understand! I can't go back to my father without being able to show him my skills."

"You can go find another teacher then. I'm done Mei. I've given you everything you need; encouragement, a special regime..." Mantis chuckled bitterly. "Hell, I was ready to hand my heart over to you."

Both insects stared at each other in stunned silence.

"…did I just say that out loud?" Goodbye to the tiny sliver of solemness he'd managed to hold on to.

Mei nodded, obviously surprised, blushing. "Uh, yes, you d-did."

"Well then…" Mantis coughed awkwardly. "This is the part where you reject me brutally and/or eat my head."

"I can't eat your head," Mei said with a horrified expression. "Then you would be gone! Who would teach me kung fu?"

"Tigress is a pretty kick-ass teacher when she puts her mind to it."

"Who would take me to secret hideouts in the middle of the night to see the stars?"

"Monkey's got a stash of almond cookies; if you tilt your head and close one eye, it could be the same."

"Wh-who would be my best friend?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, both mantis' eyes widened and the fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"I'm your best friend?"

"You're my only friend. This may come as a shock to you, but I'm not exactly a social butterfly."

"I never would have guessed."

The two glanced at the other's fake serious expressions before bursting into fits of laughter. Now, laughter may be the best medicine, but it was also rather intoxicating; people did the weirdest things while holding their sides or wiping tears from their eyes.

Like, stagger around the room and trip over something. Or accidentally break something important…

Or kiss your best friend mid-chortle, because they look so happy and the sudden overwhelming urge to know what their laugh tasted like took over all motor functions.

The last one was a bit too true for Mei's liking, as she pulled away from Mantis' lips with wide eyes. Immediately, her face felt like it caught fire. "I d-didn't, oh gods, s-sorry..."

"Nah…" Mantis blinked rapidly, eyes unfocused, "Nah, it's…it's okay."

Several long, awkward seconds passed before Mei fainted again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Miss Uncreative: Oh, right, I read somewhere Dustin Hoffman was returning as Shifu. Crappy source, huh?**

**Eatingadonut: NOPE. It's from my current favorite Nick show, iCarly. The end of iOMG to be exact; minus the fainting part. I added that. Good guess though xD**

**There are few steps you must do before I can allow you to continue this chapter.**

**Step 1: STOP.**

**Step 2: Go read ****The Yin and the Yang**** by **_**FFcrazy15**_** in a new tab, if you haven't already. (to those who haven't, I have to ask you: **_how have you lived this long without reading it!**)**_

**Step 3: Cry to your heart's content.**

**Step 4: Take a few moments to compose yourself from awesome-overload, then start scrolling down.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Master Ah-lam; that honor goes to **_**FFcrazy**_**, who was awesome enough to let me write this little crossover. And just so you know, I literally had to go**_ bandage my fingers_** because they were melting from the sheer badassery that it Master Ah-lam. Also, this story is not canon (Mantis is _so_ not this big of a jerk) for ****The Yin and the Yang****; it's purely random crap that I thought of. So…fanfiction…for a fanfiction…I guess…?**

…**uhm…I think I just broke my brain…**

**Step 5: Why are you still reading this? Scroll; scroll I say!**

**#43: Too Easy**

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><p>Grandmaster Shifu calmly sipped his soup, seemingly oblivious to the stunned stares of his students directed towards him. He was aware of the feline master next to him that was constantly nudging him, while trying to seem impassive herself.<p>

Shifu knew her much too well for the act to fool him. "Is something bothering you, Ah-lam?"

Instead of her sweet, smooth voice, Shifu's inquiry was met with a deeper tone. "Bothering _her? _More like bothering _us!"_

The other's quickly shot glares at the insufferable insect, in hopes up shutting him up. However, anyone who had ever carried a conversation with Master Mantis for up to a minute knew that the words 'shut up' were not in his vocabulary.

"Is that so, Mantis?" Shifu raised his eyebrows at the bug, feigning interest.

"Uh, hello? Yeah it's so! You can't just waltz in here and announce that you're getting married and expect us to eat our noodles in peace!"

"That is where you are mistaken. That is _exactly _what I expect you to do," Shifu's reply was delivered quickly and in the same, flat tone.

Mantis crossed his arms in annoyance, huffing, "Maybe an obedient little lamb like Crane would do that," which in turn got an indignant reaction of said avian.

"Excuse me, since when did I become a lamb?"

Ignoring Crane's question, Shifu stared Mantis down with a crumpling glare. He opened his mouth to say something, but was abruptly caught off by the almost inaudible hiss coming from Mast Ah-lam.

"I believe it is also part of Shifu's expectations that his students do not disrespect him," the mountain cat said, irritation obvious in her tone.

Po let out a quiet, "Ohhh buurrn," and earned a quick shushing from Viper, and a less-than-gentle fist in his shoulder from Tigress.

"Well it's part of my expectations that I don't have to watch Master Shifu share spit with a wrinkly old _hag," _Mantis said, meeting Ah-lam's murderous gaze with a glare of his own.

Monkey covered his mouth, trying to stifle a loud yelp.

Ah-lam, being the calm person she was, didn't lose her composure for an instant. "This 'wrinkly old hag' as you say is not going to be stopped by a disrespectful insect." She paused, the corner of her lip twitching, and added, "And do not forget, I have shared many kisses with Grandmaster Shifu, and I plan to have many more."

At this point, Shifu choked on his noodles, and proceeded to fall out of his seat.

The expressions of the Five could only be described as disturbed, as they watched Shifu struggle to his feet in silence. The red panda sounded as if he was trying to hack up a lung, while at the same time being immensely glad his fur was already tinged red.

Mantis was the first to snap out of the stupor, a violent shudder running down his spine. Tigress followed closely behind, still staring wide-eyed at Master Shifu. "I really, _really, _did not need to know that," she muttered, "Nor did I want to."

A now slightly horrified Mantis, cleared his throat, found his voice hadn't come back, and cleared it again. "That is so gross on so many different levels."

"Why? Have you not kissed _your _suitor, Tao Mei?" Ah-lam said innocently.

"That's not the same thing. Me and Mei are young; it's _normal,_" Mantis replied, ignoring the snickers from Monkey and Crane. "Anyhow, we only kissed once."

Ah-lam nodded in understanding. "So, you are saying that Shifu is shown more actions of endearment from his _old _suitor more often then you are from your _young _one?"

The reaction was instantaneous; Mantis went supremely purple in the face, spluttering to be heard over the roaring laughter of his friends. Monkey was literally crying, as were Po and Crane; Viper was trying (and failing) to contain herself; and Tigress allowed a smirk to spread across her face.

"Th—that is _not _what I said!"

Ah-lam nonchalantly rose to her feet and linked her arm in Shifu's. "How strange; that is exactly what I heard."

"Get your hearing checked!" Mantis retorted coldly, aiming a chopstick at Monkey's forehead.

With complete serenity, Ah-lam lead her fiance out of the kitchen. "I expect you will help organize the wedding then?" she said casually over her shoulder.

The choruses of laughter from the younger Kung Fu masters only spiked again, much to the dismay of the still spluttering bug. After a few moments of walking, Shifu finally let out a loud guffaw, clapping quietly. "I envy quite a number of your skills Ah-lam," he he said fondly, "but being able to beat Mantis at his own game is definitely what I covet most."

The mountain cat smiled modestly, still having yet to utter even the slightest of giggles. "Don't patronize me Shifu; that cannot even count as a skill. It was much too easy."

It was only then she allowed her own quiet laughter mix into Shifu's, pausing momentarily when she felt his lips press upon her cheek. Shifu, still mildly uncomfortable with showing affection, cleared his throat and continued walking, having no words to describe his action.

After a few more moments of silence, he deadpanned, "Although, the comment about kisses could have remained untold."

"My apologies," Ah-lam replied, with a smirk that said she was not sorry in the slightest.

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><p><strong>super fluffy ending is super fluffy<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm doing the unthinkable.**

**I'm writing a fight scene.**

***At this point, all Jade Palace occupants ran away as fast as they could, as they did not want to be part of this drabble. However, Po tripped, and Tigress tripped over him, and they were both misunderstood to be volunteering for the main characters for this chapter.***

**This turned a lot more funny and I lot less violent then I wanted it to be. Ugh. Maybe I'll rewrite it one day...or have the next chapter be angsty and sad...mmm...**

**Thanks for the reviews on last chapter. I was afraid no one would like it. But I'm glad everyone did, especially FFcrazy, since it was his/her character after all. **

**Anyway, you came for an update, not to hear me babble. So here we go...**

**#98: Fighting**

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><p>Tigress was going to end him.<p>

"I'm going to end you."

Po wanted to die gently by a gentle hand.

"Please kill me gently."

The angry tiger simply rolled her, obviously not amused. She bowed in respect; though her growl sounded exceptionally feral. Po gulped and raised his shaky fists in return. His toes gripping the padded mat beneath him. Momentarily, he took his eyes off Tigress to glance at the side lines of the Training Hall.

Monkey gave him two thumbs up and toothy grin. Crane shook his head as if to say 'I disapprove of this but I'm not crazy enough to stop Tigress' and shrugged in Po's direction. Viper tried to smile reassuringly, while at time laying bandages and splints out, just in case.

Mantis, being himself, waved eagerly. "If you die, can I have your room?"

Well that was encouraging. Po gulped again as he faced the snarling Tigress. What could he have possibly done to mess up this badly? Other then accidentally tripping and flinging a bowl of noodles at her head; emphasis on the word _accident _which Po had tried really hard to explain. But Tigress was a firm believer in Master Oogway's words and insisted that he did it deliberately.

Plus, she was kind of being soaked by spicy broth—and that was enough to make _anyone _irrational.

_Oh yeah_, Po thought, pouting. No wonder she wanted to kill him.

"Tigress?" Po said weakly as he raised his fists in a fighting stance.

"Yes, Dragon Warrior?"

"No claws, okay?"

Tigress smirked; a dangerous glint in her eye. "No promises." With that being said, she charged forward.

Po could hardly see her; she was like an orange blur. He blocked as fast as he could, constantly meeting Tigress' kicks and punches with his forearms. She retreated, just long enough to get a look at him, before attacking again.

She swept her arms in a circular motion, effectively distracting Po, and making it incredibly easy to land a solid kick to his stomach. Po let out a girlish giggle, backing away and swatting at her. "_Don't! _You _know _I'm ticklish!"

Tigress growled again, drowning out the wolf whistles from Mantis and Monkey.

Po realized—too late—the implications of what he said, and paid dearly for it. Tigress leaped into the air and with a loud "HIYAH!" her heel met his chin. Before he could reel back, she grabbed the top of his head and pulled him towards her knee.

"YEOWW-OW-OW!" Po yelped, reaching up to cradle his now smashed nose. Tigress flipped elegantly, landing in a crouching stance on the ground.

"Okay it's on now!" Po roared, hurtling himself toward her. He dodged her foot; grabbing it and using it to spin her around in mid air. The panda snickered and let go, leaving Tigress to fall on her face.

Not wasting anytime, Po stepped forward and grabbed her tail then used it to fling her over his head and onto the padded mat again. "Ha!"

Tigress unsheathed her claws with an audible slicing sound. She jumped to her feet—somehow forgetting Po's hold on her tail.

In effort save at least part of the feline's dignity, the next few seconds of their fight closely resembled the 'technique' Po used against Tai Lung, complete with Tigress chomping down on her own tail.

Of course, she didn't feel the physical pain, but part of her ego shattered as se saw Po laughing at her. The next thing she saw was Po yanking her tail and the snowy white color of his stomach, followed by a really good look at the ceiling (which is to say, she had ricocheted off his bouncy stomach into the ceiling that she unfortunately greeted with her face).

Did Po feel bad about her hurting her? Yes. Did he care about her well-being? Of course! Was he incredibly pumped at landing a combo on the famous Master Tigress? _Shoo-shyeah he was!_

"BOOOYAHH!" He thundered, throwing is arms in the air. "Did you guys see that? I was like '_HIYAH' _and she was all '_Mew; I bit my tail!' _ and ohmygosh that was **soo** awesome!"

The sad thing was, he would've kept ranting about it too—if gravity hadn't chosen that particular moment to pull Tigress out of her imprint in the ceiling and have her land directly on Po's head. They collapsed in a heap on the mat, Po on his back and the tiger master sprawled out atop him. His eyes were spinning and his tongue lolled out of his mouth. If not for said facial expression, the masters looked to be in a rather compromising position.

"Man, that's gotta hurt," Mantis noted gleefully.

"Neither of them are conscious…" Monkey pointed out. A silence passed before equally sly smiles crept onto the faces of the four masters.

"This is the perfect time to get their portrait painted," Crane said, trying to sound innocent.

Mantis nodded quickly, halfway towards the door already. "Way ahead of you. I'll go get the paintbrushes; you guys make sure they stay like that." There was a spring in his step as he happily strolled out of the Training Hall.

Viper looked at her two friends, wincing. Mantis was right; that had to _hurt. _Suffice to say, both masters would be immensely sore the next morning. And if Crane succeeded in painting their portrait before they came too...the next morning would be interesting indeed.


	10. Chapter 10

**For some strange reason there's no chapter about adorable Shifu/Tigress family issues, and I felt the need to change that, but holy crap did this chapter turn out weird. I had it envisioned so perfectly, and then I tried to type and it was like 'HAHAAH nope!' and turned into _this._**

**Did you read the Nobody? No? Yes? Did you like it? No? Yes? Should I continue it? No Yes? Tell me in your review pleeeeease.**

**Also, I just noticed something about my writing. All my sentence structures are the same. All of them! I'm not even kidding! WTF right? I'm trying to fix it...**

****SPOILER ALERT** **

**You have to watch KFP 2 for this one! Don't get mad if I spoiled the ending for you- I gave you a warning!**

**#11: Dreams**

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><p>The moon lit the early morning sky in a peaceful glow. At three in the morning, it was no surprise that the Jade Palace was silent, save for the random sleeping noises its inhabitant made. Master Shifu shifted in is bed, snoring softly.<p>

"_AHHHH!"_

Shifu's eyes popped open. He jumped out of bed in an instant, sprinting to the source of the scream. He dug his heels in the ground and skidded to a stop in front of the room of his adopted daughter.

He paused, suddenly unsure of this could be right.

"_SHIFU!" _the piercing scream from behind the door echoed down the hall.

Yes, this was right.

The red panda burst into the room, eyes focusing on the shivering young girl on her bedroll. Her paws covered her ears and tears—thick, fat tears streamed down her face. She didn't even notice he was in the room until he gently patted her shoulder. "Tigress? What's wrong?"

The cub whimpered, scarlet eyes unseeing despite being focused on Shifu's face. "Th…the…Bao Gu…_AHHHHH!"_

In a flurry of movement, Shifu pulled the girl into his arms. He hugged her tightly, and didn't release his grip until she stopped shaking. "Calm down so you can speak. Take a few deep breaths."

The cub obeyed, breathing hard. Shifu had to pry her paws off her ears. "Speak," he said gently.

"…I…I was at the orphanage again. B-but they were chasing me with spears and fire…and screaming, "Get the monster! Get her!" Th-hey were going to kill me, Shifu! Take me away from y-you and kill me!" Tigress rasped out, digging her claws into Shifu's robes and burying her face in his neck.

"It was only a dream," Shifu soothed her. He rubbed her back gently, a sad smile on his lips. "You're still with me."

Tigress' small body shook with a sob. "Please don't leave me."

"I won't."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. In the back of his mind, something was nagging Shifu to let go of her; push her away. What if she turned into a monster- just like Tai Lung? But he couldn't. She was in obvious pain and leaving her now would simply make things worse.

"I," the elder master said quietly, rubbing behind her ears now, "dreamt I was being chased by a giant bowl of noodles. It was trying to eat me with its chopsticks."

He was afraid his tactic wouldn't work when the girl started to giggle madly. Her giggles turned into guffaws as released her death grip on his clothing and seemed to relax. "That's so silly, Shifu," she laughed through a severe case of the hiccups.

A small smile lifted the corners of his lips. "I know. I'm just glad it was only a dream. It was a ferocious meal, really."

Tigress laughed again; the sound morphed into a contented purr as she cuddled into her master. "Don't leave me," she muttered again before drifting off to sleep.

Shifu frowned as he watched the cub's sleeping face. "I won't," he repeated, almost silently.

The next morning, Master Oogway found the two; Tigress sleeping soundly in her master's arms, and Shifu just watching her with that fatherly gaze.

**0o0**

Shifu jolted awake suddenly, grabbing his staff to be ready for a fight. His eyes looked around wildly as he tried to remember where he was. After blinking the sleep from he vision, he recalled the reason why he was not in his own bedroom; he had volunteered to look after Tigress.

Ah, Tigress…

She had bravely took Shen's cannon blast for Po, and even though it seemed she had healed, reality let it be known that she had been seriously hurt. Only an hour after watching the fireworks, her knees gave out and she collapsed suddenly. A week had passed since then, and she hadn't opened her eyes for more then an hour.

But now, she was clutching her bandaged chest and hyperventilating, scarlet eyes blinked rapidly, unable to focus on anything.

Shifu stood from his spot by the door and strolled over to kneel by her side. "Tigress?"

Her gaze met his instantly. Without any warning, she reached forward and swung her arms around him, still breathing hard. "Master…" She released her grip quickly, coughing and trying to bow in respect. "My apologies. I don't know what just happened."

Shifu waved her apology away. "You were dreaming about something."

Tigress shifted and winced in pain. "…yes, I was."

"What happened?"

His inquiry was met with silence. The tiger master settled onto her back, sucking her breath in through clenched teeth. "It was nothing…"

"Tigress," Shifu prompted in a no nonsense manner. It was obvious enough that her dream was bothering her.

Tigress' eyes closed tightly as she sighed. "I didn't push the Dragon Warrior out of the way fast enough. He died…because I was too slow."

Shifu jerked back, mouth agape. A single tear trickled slowly down Tigress' cheek. She brushed it away quickly, but not quickly enough; Shifu had seen it. In the next second, he hugged her tentatively.

"It was just a dream. You were fast enough. That is the reason why you are here now," he said quietly.

Either from the intense shock that Shifu was hugging her, or the rush of feelings she was still trying to calm, Tigress was speechless. She hugged him in return, albeit stiffly.

"I," Shifu continued, "had a dream Po was trying to eat me. The scariest part about it is the fact that it is a plausible fear."

He bit his lip in anticipation…

…and released it when he heard Tigress trying to stifle her laughter.

In the back of his mind, Shifu felt the oddest sense of déjà vu. However, he ignored it, and chuckled along with his daughter, happy that it been just a dream.


	11. Chapter 11

**I've been reading too much KFP. Today, I called my brother Po XD And wow, you guys actually _liked _the last chapter? 0.o mind blown. **

**Ho. Ly. Crap. Wow. 50 reviews….I love you guys! Thanks for all the sweet reviews; you really make my day.**

***initiates group hug***

**To celebrate this li'l milestone…I have the ultimate Pogress fluffy yet not totally fluffy but still fluff-like drabble that's rather adultish kinda but not really but I thought I'd just put up this warning...hmm…uh…wow that didn't make any sense…**

**...jeez this just got awkward...**

**#6: Breathless**

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><p>"We shouldn't be doing this," she pants, pushing on his chest. Her paws slide over her shoulders and he can't help but find her lips again.<p>

They kiss, tongues fighting for dominance, until she pushes away for the second time. "I'm serious."

He presses her against the wall, fingers dancing lightly on her sides. "I don't care," he whispers. She shivers; his breath sends tingles down her spine. This time, she throws her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

"We're being foolish," she breathes, "and it's not going to end up well."

His paws make their way up her shirt, rubbing her back and stomach. She purrs—loudly and happily. "I don't care," he repeats.

Again, their lips meet. She pushes herself towards him, wanting more and more. He doesn't object. "My father will kill you." The sweet taste of her lips lingers on his.

"I'll die happy," he cracks a smile and goes for her mouth.

To that, she has no rebuttal, and simply lets him slide her vest off her shoulders. Lips locked, too tightly to let the smallest amount of air in as they stumble over each other further inside the room, and he uses his foot to shut the door behind them.

The next time the break apart, both are panting heavily, gulping for oxygen.

"Tigress, I love you," he says suddenly, nibbling at her neck.

She purrs and smiles, loving the incredible wave of joy she's feeling. "I know, Po," she replies. "I love you too."

He kisses her shoulder and slowly travels towards her lips. The intensity of the next kiss leaves them pulling away, grinning and panting. "I say, we skip out tonight and elope." He holds his paws out in a 'why not?' fashion.

"I say if you kiss me again I might think about it." She doesn't give him the chance to reply; just pulls his face towards hers and they're at it again, not even waiting to catch their breath.


	12. Chapter 12

**So I got a few requests for Mantis x Mei (I've been thinking or calling it Meintis or Manei) but I honestly couldn't think of what to do.**

**And then all the other prompts on my list suddenly seemed impossible to write for.**

**So after aimlessly walking around my house because I felt so useless not writing, I had a realization. Or, rather inspiration.**

**You see, I love music, and I also love KFP…and if you add those together, you either get a _really_ bad songfic or a Shuffle Challenge.**

**Try and guess what this is…**

**#46: Challenge (c what i did thar?)**

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><p><strong>Alright by John Legend<strong>

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><p>A smirk crept on the face of a spotted feline as he winked suggestively at the lady tiger a few feet away. She rolled her eyes at him, as if saying he should bug off, but with a slight gesture of her head she indicated at the panda next to her.<p>

Despite the number of party animals – literally – between them, he got the message perfectly. Another almost unnoticeable nod of his head and another wink earned him a smile.

The lady turned to her date again, and he had to admit, she was an amazing actress. Acting like she cared nothing more then being with the panda the whole night.

He would have to wait to get her attention, but that was perfectly alright with him.

* * *

><p><strong>Last Kiss by Taylor Swift<strong>

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><p>A tear sent ripples cascading through the Pool of Sacred tears. Its owner sniffed and wiped at her eyes, trying to put the past behind her.<p>

Of course she couldn't.

With the most sensitive of touches, she reached a pincer up to meet her tingling lips. That tickling sensation was all she had left of him to remember forever.

Well, the rumors were true; he did live up to his name. Kuai and quick went hand in hand. Love 'em and leave 'em was a religion rather then a motto.

Another forceful sob rack the small insect's body as she clutched her heart. The heart that had once belonged to him, not so empty and cold…

Not so alone.

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><p><strong>The Show Goes On by Lupe Fiasco<strong>

* * *

><p>Po finally possessed the one thing he never thought he could have.<p>

The one thing that seemed to pass through his pudgy fingers day after day, even after training, even after another successful day at the shop.

The one thing that he was sure the universe would taunt him with for the rest of his life.

He couldn't help the ecstatic smile that planted itself on is face as he looked at the villagers cheering around him. Modestly, he put up his paws to calm them, which only riled the villagers even more.

Behind him a paw came to rest on his shoulder.

"Don't try to calm them down. They won't listen," Tigress said with a slight smirk.

Po shrugged but didn't try to hide his smile. "I dunno why they're doing this. I know I don't deserve it…"

He was caught by surprise when his feline friend grabbed both his shoulders and spun him around to face her. Meeting his eyes, she leaned forward. "Yes you do. You deserve all of this. You should be proud of yourself."

The smirk turned into a full-blown smile when he giggled boyishly and declared, "I _am."_

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><p><strong>Secret Valentine by We the Kings<strong>

* * *

><p>A certain avian ducked his head and frowned. He knew for a fact that his friend's reaction to his confession was beyond uncalled for.<p>

"Mantis…" he hissed quietly, shifty eyes looking around to make no one had heard.

The insect, who was enjoying himself far too much, chuckled. "Sorry buddy, I can't help myself. But you have been hiding this from me for how long?"

Crane ruffled his feathers uncomfortably. "A month," he muttered.

"A month! A whole month! I'm your best friend—it's my right to know when you get a girl the minute it happens!"

However, the waterfowl had stopped paying attention to the outrage bug. With a goofy grin tearing across his face, he lifted a wing and pointed into the distance. "Actually, she's my best friend, and she did know the minute it happened."

"That's because she was there!" Mantis countered as his friend began to walk in the direction of his scaly girlfriend.

"That means it's technically not a secret then," Crane pointed out over his shoulder. Then, suddenly to excited to simply walk, he took off into the sky. "Viper! Wait up!"

Mantis clicked his tongue as he watched the love struck bird fly away. "I have to give him props though. It's hard to keep the love of your life a secret for so long." He grinned and waved at the two, although sure they couldn't hear him. "Happy Valentine's Day, you crazy kids!"

* * *

><p><strong>Stutter by Maroon 5<strong>

* * *

><p>"Well, Panda?"<p>

"I…uh…y-you…it's like…"

Tigress slammed her paw down on the table. It creaked under the force of her hit, and for one terrifying moment Po thought he might lose the only thing separating him and the angered feline.

"Speak," she demanded, eyes narrowing.

After swallowing hard he attempted to do as she said. "I really d-didn't mean to…like…uh, is it hot in here?" As if someone suddenly turned up the heat in the kitchen, sweat was pouring off his body in torrents. His eyes averted hers and instead darted around the room. A growled formed from the back of her throat.

"What is wrong with you? Can you talk?"

He bit his lip to consider the answer he was about to give, then pointed a shaky finger at her. "With you in here? _No."_

* * *

><p><strong>The Time (Remix) by the Black Eyed Peas<strong>

* * *

><p>He liked the way her face lit up when she looked at him, and the way her contagious giggle sent waves of laughter rippling through the crowd of party villagers around them.<p>

He adored how shy she had been when they walked into the club; how tightly she had gripped his pincer to keep herself from falling over with fright.

"This," Mei yelled over the beat of the music, "is the most fun I've ever had!" She paused to scream along with the live band playing, temporarily letting go of her boyfriend to put her pincers in the air.

"I thought you'd like it," Mantis replied, grinning almost as widely as she was. Suddenly, her lips found his in what could only be described as a needed kiss. Mei pulled away, not bashful in the least bit.

"You thought right!" she declared happily, eyes gleaming in the evening twilight.

The grin on his face turned goofy as he danced along with her. He may have liked the traits Mei had, and adored the shyness that defined her, but it was a solid fact that he _loved _her for her.

There was only one thing that he could have possibly loved more, and that was the look of surprise on her face when he said three words neither would ever forget.

* * *

><p><strong>Heaven Can Wait by We The Kings<strong>

* * *

><p>A content sigh passed through the lips of Mantis as he awaited his fiancé. Surrounding him were his closest friends, his Master, his mother, and somewhere in the back he suspected her father to be impatiently standing.<p>

With a horrified gasp, he realized how dreamily he had been sighing. _Ugh. _He was whipped.

Nobody noticed his seemingly out of place stunned gesture, since they had all gasped at the same moment he did but for a different reason. Strutting towards her love and wearing the most confident smile anyone had ever seen alight on her face, Tao Mei didn't seem to notice how surprised everyone was.

Mantis gave her a broad grin. If it was possible, she looked even more beautiful in her bridal robes then usual.

There was once a time in life that Mantis had sworn to Monkey that there was no way dying could be worse then the life he was currently living.

As his eyes met Mei's, he could only describe the feeling of happiness he felt as something heaven couldn't even compete with.

* * *

><p><strong>Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson<strong>

* * *

><p>Monkeys' eye twitched.<p>

"Tell me again why _I'm _Annie?" he huffed, gesturing at the billowing dress that bunched up around his ankles.

Po adjusted his hat on his head. "Because," he started, "Viper is lacking in the limbs department and can't wear clothes, and when we tried to get Tigress to do it, she threatened to break the arm of anyone who got near her with as much as a ribbon." He gave the simian a once over, forcing himself not to laugh. "Besides, it looks better on you."

Monkey glared at the panda with a look of pure hatred on his face.

"Lighten up," Mantis demanded, setting his own hat atop his head, "It's not like anyone will know it's you."

"_Everyone will know it's me!"_

Crane shrugged, so annoyingly calm Monkey nearly exploded again. "Actually, Viper did an amazing job with the makeup. It's nearly impossible to tell who's underneath all of it."

Monkey gave a derisive snort, picking up the pink dress to move into his position on stage. "You say that so calmly because you're the one in the awesome hat as opposed to the ladies clothing."

The curtain in front of them started to rise slowly. Mantis smirked and dipped his head, speaking so quietly it was almost impossible to hear. "_Ladies_ clothing? I could've sworn that's what your wardrobe usually looks like."

"Please burst into flames and die." Monkey ducked his head and had to will down the blush flooding his cheeks as he heard the announcer clear his throat.

"You guys – and Monkey – ready?" Po hissed, obviously excited.

"I'm a kung fu master, not a Michael Jackson impersonator."

"I'm only doing this because I get to keep the hat."

"I'm in a dress. The whole valley is going to see me _in a dress."_

The announcer finished his speech and gave the signal for the band to start. Po practically shook with eagerness as he waited for his cue to burst into a spontaneous dance. "I know, I can't wait either!"

Monkey sighed through his teeth. This was going to be a loooong day.

* * *

><p><strong>Like Boom by Vita Chambers<strong>

* * *

><p>Po contorted his face in confusion as he watched his feline friend pace the length of the Training Hall. "Are you okay?"<p>

"No," she replied quickly, biting her lip anxiously.

"Oh." He blinked. "What's wrong?"

"I need to tell you something."

He nodded in understanding, "You can tell me anything, you know that."

The sigh that passed her lips filled the whole hall. "I know." As if she hadn't missed a step, she continued her freakishly determined pacing.

Po leaned forward on his knees. "…so, what is it?"

A silence fell as Tigress tried to find the right words. She came to an abrupt stop and marched up to the panda, giving him a death-glare.

"I like you," she deadpanned, "a _lot._"

* * *

><p><strong>State Run Radio by Lupe Fiasco<strong>

* * *

><p>The triumphant red panda smirked as his student fell face first in the dirt, gasping for breath.<p>

"Just….just give me _oh-gods-I'm-gonna-die _a sec," Po wheezed heavily after turning on his side.

Shifu shook his head curtly. "No time, Panda. Get up."

"But…I'm going. To. Die."

"And _we _are going to be late, unless you get up."

"Where are we going anyway?"

"To the Forbidden City. The Emperor has wished an audience with you."

"With—with _me? _That's sooooo awesome!"

"No it's not."

"Yeah huh!"

"No."

"Yeah!"

"_No."_

"_Yeah!"_

"Stop that! It's very much not 'awesome' because he most likely wants to use you."

"For what?"

"I have no idea. The Emperor is a sick, twisted little man…"

"How do you know?"

"…My younger years were…_eventful. _Now come on, we must push on if we want to be there by morning."

"GAH—okay, just let me st-_staaaaand uppppp. _WOO! Let's go!"

"Don't do that."

"Sorry. Hey, Master, how come he doesn't want to see the Five?"

"Because the Furious Five have met the Emperor before, and he has never been the same since the occasion. I honestly don't believe it was necessary Tigress to use his own arm to tie him up, but I trust her judgment."

"…yeah….yeah, I'm officially terrified of Tigress now."

"As if you weren't already."

"I'm going to ignore that. What do you mean by he'll 'use me'?"

"The Emperor is by no means a good man. He's manipulative and conniving and evil."

"So why the heck is the Emperor?"

"_Because _he is manipulative, conniving, and evil. A very persuasive man, really. He once got Master Mantis to set fire to his own leg."

"And just how in gods' names did he do that?"

"He told him it would eventually lead to a long life without him ending up decapitated."

"…I see…"

"Since you are the Dragon Warrior, he it's very hard to know for sure what he'll use you to do. Conspiracy nuts have rumored that he wants to end the Noodle Era and establish the Tofu Millennia. Have you ever experienced swallowing something bigger then your head?"

"Uh, no?"

"Oh. Hmm. That may change…"

"Oh, really? Well, if you say that, then I'm just going to—_AHHHHHHH! OHMYGODS TIGRESS HEEEEELLLLPPP!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Well, for some reason, after I started writing I suddenly got like a billion ideas for a Mantis x Mei story. Is there any on this Shuffle List I should continue? Hmmm...<strong>

**Did the first Taigress bug anyone else? No? How about the last one? I really didn't mean to turn that into a dialog only...**

**Monkey's line in _Smooth Criminal _comes from the Methods of Rationality by Less Wrong. Just read chapter 5 today and couldn't stop laughing XD **

**Tigress' line at the end of _Like Boom _comes from Kyon: Big Damn Hero.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I really couldn't help myself…this is a continuation of _Like Boom _from last chapter, and it's easily my favorite one-shot to write so far.**

**read: Be afraid. Be very afraid.**

**Also, if there's a significant difference in my writing style, blame it on the fact that I just started reading _Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality _and goshdangit that story CHANGES you.**

**Warning: Mild language in this one, which is scary since Mantis is only _mentioned _in this story.**

**Uhm, all Pogress shippers shouldn't be offended; if you close one eye, squint, close the other eye, and kick your imagination up a notch it kind of looks like I'm bashing the ship. Which I'm not, by the way, because I like it way too much to do that. But I am sort of exaggerating Po's encyclopedic dedication-induced knowledge (aka fanboyism) but that makes sense when you get towards the end.**

**I apologize if they seem OOC, but you try writing a story like this while keeping them perfectly in character. It's kind of ard.**

**ONE LAST THING: The next chapter WILL be a Mayonnaise story. That's what I've decided to call Mantis and Mei- think about it and play with their names long enough and you'll hear it too.**

**#16: Seeking Peace**

* * *

><p>Po was only mildly concerned when Viper told him Tigress wanted to spar. Normally, he would run away screaming after hearing news like that, but today he just felt lucky.<p>

He was worried when he arrived at the Training Hall and scared Tigress. She had her back turned to the door and seemed to be mumbling to herself; when he gave her a loud greeting, she jumped nearly landed on the ceiling.

"Whoa, calm down! It's just me!" Po said quickly when he saw her unsheathe her claws.

She relaxed immediately, her surprise turning into anxiety. "Hello," she said simply.

"Hey! Viper said you wanted to spar?"

She paused before nodding stiffly. "But…before we begin…I need to settle something. It has been nagging at me for some time now…"

Po sat down and looked at her expectantly. He contorted his face in confusion as he watched his feline friend pace the length of the Training Hall. "Are you okay?"

"No," she replied quickly, biting her lip anxiously.

"Oh." He blinked. "What's wrong?"

"I need to tell you something."

He nodded in understanding, "You can tell me anything, and you know that."

The sigh that passed her lips filled the whole hall. "I know." As if she hadn't missed a step, she continued her freakishly determined pacing.

Po leaned forward on his knees. "…so, what is it?"

A silence fell as Tigress tried to find the right words. She came to an abrupt stop and marched up to the panda, giving him a death-glare.

"I like you," she deadpanned, "a _lot._"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. Po, for his part, was rendered completely speechless. He sat, gaping and trying to find words for what felt like an eternity, until he let out an unmistakably girlish giggle. Tigress opened her eyes and cringed at the goofy smile on Po's face.

"You like me? Or _like _me?"

Oh gods. He wasn't going to…

The grin grew wider as she blinked at him.

Yes. He was.

"Po…" Tigress hissed in a low warning.

"You _like me! _This is gold! This is awesome! I—oh my gods, _you_ like me!"

All anxiety left the feline in a whoosh. A strangled sound that resembled something like a kitten that had just been stepped on formed in the back of her throat. Silently, she vowed to single-handedly murder Viper for talking her into this.

Po couldn't take a hint, and continued on his little rant. "This is…so awesome! I…you…oh my gods!" he repeated, this time having the utter audacity to place his paws on her shoulders and shake her around.

Tigress stiffened and hissed, "Would you be quie—MMPH!"

The words she had been trying to say were cut off abruptly when Po leaned forward and kissed her unexpectedly. Her eyes widened in shock, and she almost let herself melt into it, but regained her sense within moments and shoved him away. Tigress was literally shaking as she lifted her paws towards him. "What…in gods' names…was _that?"_

Her palm met her forehead when the panda only giggled again. "You _like me!"_

**0o0**

"Tigress?" the curious reptile prompted for the fifth time.

Tigress blinked and swallowed hard. Her eyes had gone unbelievably wide. She began to choke, on seemingly nothing, other then the ridiculous daydream her mind had managed to come up with. Viper, obviously alarmed, began asking her friend questions rapid-fire. "Are you okay? Tigress? What happened? Do you need water?"

Somehow, the feline managed to compose herself. She shook her head frantically. "No, I don't," she said, trying to stand up. "And no, I'm not going to tell him straightforward. Honestly, that's one of the worst ideas you've ever had." To add to her point, a violent shiver raced down her spine.

Viper frowned. "What? Why not? You liked the idea a second ago!"

Tigress fixed the fellow master with an unreadable stare. "Have you ever thought about just how much Po _fanboys _over things? Mainly things that involve _me?"_

"…No."

Tigress waited for her words to really sink in. Viper's eyes slowly widened. "You don't think he'd…"

"Yes, he certainly would." The shiver made its reappearance. "Maybe it would best if I just kept it a secret for now. Until I can think of a better plan then…then _that." _She spat out the last word like it was poison.

Viper nodded, slowly at first but it soon picked up energy and speed. "Good idea. But you've got to do something soon Tigress; all that emotional stuff is preventing you from reaching Inner Peac—what?"

About halfway through Viper's little speech, the feline recoiled and obtained a look of absolute horror. "Don't say emotional!"

"Alright, the romantic—"

"_Don't say romantic either."_

"…are you feeling okay?"

Tigress actually had to think about the question. "No," she finally answered. "And believe me, if you had imagined what I did, you wouldn't be exactly right in the head either."

Viper gave her a perplexed looked. "What exactly happened when you zoned out?"

The tiger master bit her lip, trying to decide how best to describe her vivid daydream. "Do you recall," she started slowly, "Po's reaction when he destroyed Lord Shen's cannon diagram?"

Viper nodded, brow furrowing. "You don't mean…"

"One hundred times worse. One _thousand_ times. _**Ten**_ hundred thousand times worse then that," Tigress then said flatly. "And that was **before** he kissed me."

Her reptilian companion gasped sharply. Her horror melted into confusion, and finally a smirk as she said, "You imagined him kissing you?"

Tigress opened her mouth and gurgled.

"You've got it bad," Viper said pointedly, the smirk morphing into a shit-eating grin. "And you're also never going to achieve Peace."

"I…will…eventually," Tigress choked, looking off to the side. "Maybe. Possibly."

"Did you kiss back in your" the snake paused to swallow a giggle "_imagination_?"

She was having too much fun with this. The feline nodded so slightly it would be missed if Viper so much as blinked—but of course, she didn't blink, and the grin remained planted firmly on her face. "…I wanted to," Tigress explained further, wondering to herself why she was saying any of this anyway.

Viper nodded with finality. "My point exactly. You've got it bad—worse then I've ever seen actually, which is ironic since it's you—and your little 'quest' is doomed unless you can get over it." A pause, indicating the snake was thinking, followed before she added, "Which will probably never happen."

As far as words went, Tigress had none. She did have a variety of sounds though which ranged from 'strangled kitten' to 'ferocious man-eating yeti' and back to 'I just choked violently'.

"_**Augh**_!" she exclaimed which loosely translated into 'I'm going to kill you so violently your descendants will still feel it dynasties from now'.

"And yes," Viper acknowledged the feline's next anguished question without even needing to hear it, "I _have _been spending way too much time with Mantis."


	14. Chapter 14

**Holy fudge guys. It's been over a week since I updated. It's like my writing skills took a vacation or something. **

**Okay, this is kinda funny; This was actually a prompt on my list, _and _a song on my shuffle list. ****I'm impressed, amazed, and slightly creeped out. O_o**

**Anyway, this chapter is a continuation of The Time (remix) from chapter 12**

**I have some horrible news...school starts tomorrow. *insert hysterical sobs here* The first week or two won't be so bad, but after things take off I won't be able to update half as fast as usual. It sucks, I know, but I'm taking three high school classes this year (and I'm only in 8th grade) and the grade I get will be on my permanent record _forever _so I've really got to pay attention.**

**But then again, I'm also a procrastinator...and this is a great way to put off doing homework. Eh, we'll see! :P**

**I bring to you the Mayonnaise story, as promised! (Apologize for any grammar/spelling mistakes. You know how it is)**

**#99: The Time of My Life**

* * *

><p>After a year of living at the Jade Palace, Mei had become fairly accustomed to strange happenings. She could take the explanation of why Viper and Monkey were covered in a honey with a straight face; she didn't even blink when Po was accused of eating Tigress' bedroll; but she still jumped in surprise every time Mantis did something spontaneous.<p>

Unfortunately, spontaneous was his forte.

Mantis, after observing this little quirk, used it to his advantage every time he got the chance.

A mischievous glint in his eye, Mantis ducked behind the rock keeping him hidden from his girlfriend and Viper. They were training in the courtyard, and he was going to do something so incredible, so _ridiculous _that she would be to stunned to tell him no. Or tell him anything, for that matter.

He waited for just the right moment…

…then he pounced.

As he tackled Mei into the dirt, Mantis suddenly understood why Tigress had so much fun using this method to attack.

"AIGHHH!" Mei screamed shrilly, though it was slightly muffled since her face was in the dirt. Mantis rolled off of her, laughing at the shocked expression on Viper's face and the surprised stammering Mei choked on as she spat out sand and pebbles.

Viper slithered up behind Mantis and used the tip of her tail to smack him on the back of the head. "That wasn't nice, Mantis," she chided.

"But it was successful," he replied, smiling smugly at Mei. "Well, now that I've got your attention Mei, I need to ask you something."

Mei was desperately trying to gulp in air.

Mantis took her silence as approval to continue. "There's this new place in the village that has a live band playing 24/7 and they're supposed to be really good. There's dancing and food…" He gave her a smile. "I thought it would be an awesome place for us to hand out tonight."

Mei, wide eyed, clutching her racing heart and tried to speak, but Mantis had already left. "Awesome, we'll leave at sunset."

Mei fell over in a dead faint.

When evening rolled around, Mantis had to carry Mei out of the Palace, as she refused to walk to the club on her own, and didn't believe Mantis would carry her all the way there if he had to.

He put her down to walk the final block to the club, and she nearly had a meltdown. Mantis learned that kisses were efficient methods of keeping her calm, and she was only hyperventilating by the time they walked into the building.

It had an open roof, showing the setting sun. Lanterns of different shapes and sizes were already being lit. There were at least sixty party goers milling about, talking, laughing, and dancing to the music the live band was playing.

Mantis knew the really good music wouldn't start playing until after dark, so he managed to get Mei to mingle with others, picking up light conversations and idle chat until everybody suddenly started shifting towards the middle of the building.

"Wh-what's going on?" Mei stammered, attaching herself to his side. "Is this some kind of c-cult? Are they going to attack us? I kn-knew this was a bad idea—"

"Chill Mei," Mantis laughed. "The music's about to start, that's all."

Mei blushed profusely and released her grip on him. "I thought the music was already playing?"

Mantis gave her a smile and gently pulled her towards the group of villagers. "No, the _music _music. The _good _stuff."

"But—"

Her words were cut off by his sudden motion; he pulled her towards him, shushing her with a soft kiss. "The _good stuff_," he repeated, grinning. She blinked rapidly, nodding as if she were in a trance.

The beat of the band picked up. Hooves, paws, wings, etc were raised into the air as villagers began jumping, smiles lighting up faces.

For one horrible second, Mantis thought Mei was going to faint. But a small, tentative smile grew on her face as well and she joined the dancing as well. With the smile glowing on her face, Mantis could honestly say he'd never seen anyone more beautiful.

He liked the way her face lit up when she looked at him, and the way her contagious giggle sent waves of laughter rippling through the crowd of party villagers around them.

He adored how shy she had been when they walked into the club; how tightly she had gripped his pincer to keep herself from falling over with fright.

"This," Mei yelled over the beat of the music, "is the most fun I've ever had!" She paused to scream along with the live band playing.

"I told you you'd like it," Mantis replied, grinning almost as widely as she was. Suddenly, her lips found his in what could only be described as a needed kiss. Mei pulled away, not bashful in the least bit.

"You were right!" she declared happily, eyes gleaming in the lanterns' light.

The grin on his face turned goofy as he danced along with her. He may have liked the traits Mei had, and adored the shyness that defined her, but it was a solid fact that he _loved _her for her.

There was only one thing that he could have possibly loved more, and that was the look of surprise on her face when he pressed their foreheads together, overcome by a sudden urge to tell her. "I love you, Mei."

She replied by landing a solid kiss to his lips. She pulled away a bit too quickly for his liking, and bit her lip shyly. "I love you too, Kuai."

'Best time ever' didn't even _begin _to describe the couple's date.


	15. Chapter 15

**You don't understand how badly I needed to write this one-shot. I luuuuurve it so much x) It's my favorite so far.**

**Uhm, I kind of have to explain how it goes with the prompt. Think of where Viper and Mantis _are _and how that place leads to...well...this.**

**Can you point out any and all grammar mistakes? I wrote this on my iPod, edited it on the compute, but I'm not quite sure I got everything. **

**Remember Seeking Peace? This ties in with that...but it's not in the same one shot-verse. In this one, imagine Po being the one with the hidden feelings that everyone else knows about and Tigress utterly oblivious.**

**Also, this is KristentheKittyKat's request for a Mantis/Viper brother and sister chapter. I do take requests (just sayin). **

**crazyjaky I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed that. Funny how you seem to read my mind...**

**#5: Doorway**

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><p>Two icy blue eyes blink awake, sleep still nearby. A crippling yawn opens the snake's massive jaw as she uncoils herself and stretches. Bleary eyed, she slithers up to the mirror and scrutinizes her reflection.<p>

The only downside of possessing a lush pair of eyelashes: while others experienced bedhead, she has bed_lashes_. While not the same thing, it produces the exact same ridiculous results.

Thirty brushes, four strokes of mascara, and a healthy puff of perfume later, Viper slowly makes her way out of her bedroom. As she slips down the hall, every fiber in her being is focused of convincing herself that she is a morning person.

So concentrated on her task, Viper doesn't realize how close she's come to plowing down a fellow master until he starts screeching insults at her.

"Sorry Mantis," Viper quickly apologizes. She smiles at him, though its sleepy and shaky.

He grunts his response, "S'okay," and together, they continue down the hall, nearing the kitchen. "Are you alright?" he ventures, indicating the sleepy look on her face.

"Wha- oh, yes, I'm fine." She stops to yawn, a ferocious motion that gives the scary perspective that she's going to eat him in one, massive gulp. "Just tired. Crane and I were training until late last night, and I'm not used to waking up on my own," she continues, referring to their missing grandmaster. Just yesterday he had departed the Palace; he'd been requested to attend the funeral of an old friend. No one had the heart to beg him to stay, least of all Viper herself. While the others, namely Po, Mantis, and Monkey, took the absence as an excuse to slack off. But she had no intentions of disappointing Shifu when he returned- and Crane and Tigress shared her mentality.

"You and Crane? _Alone_? At _night_? Scandalous!" the bug gasps loudly, mimicking the exaggerated tones women in the valley acquired when gossiping. Viper attempted to hit him, but the sleep in her eyes dulled the sharpness of her sight.

"Please go fall off a cliff," she asks him instead, smiling sweetly. He snickers again, sending a faint blush blooming on her cheeks. "Crane doesn't even like me that way," she mumbles, looking off to the side.

He grins widely at her, "You want me to knock some sense into him or wipe Mei Ling off the map?"

This time she doesn't miss.

"Shut _up_!" Viper hisses, feeling like her face just might melt. "What if he heard you? Gods, I would just die Mantis..." her words grow faint as the image if her not so secret crush ever finding out...

Noticing her embarrassment and at least being kind enough to change subjects, Mantis offers, "I could wake you up," he tries to look serious, "if you want."

Her laughter is instantaneous and disbelieving. "You can't be serious! The last time I asked you to do that, I woke under the biggest ice cube I've ever seen!" An icy shiver adds to her exasperation. "That could've _killed _me!"

Mantis snickers, eyes twinkling as he recalls the serpent's reaction to the wake up call. "Man, Monkey spent a whole week getting that ice." He chooses to ignore the last part of her annoyance—a smart decision for his part.

"Where did he even get it from?"

He shrugs. "Never told me, and I never asked." The kitchen is only a few meters away as he chuckles, "Trust me, knowing how he gets his material is scarring."

Before she has a chance to reply, the unmistakable roar of an unhappy tiger stops them both in their tracks( and wake up Viper considerably). The roar is followed by a terrified scream and then a short, hesitant laugh. Casting each other quick glances, the two masters peered into the kitchen and source of the strange sounds.

Standing behind the table, though it appears to be cowering, is Po- eyes wide and fingers digging into the wood. On the other side of the table is Tigress; glaring at the panda with such ferocity Viper wonders why he hasn't caught fire yet.

Tigress opens her mouth to speak but Po beats her to it. "W-wait!" it's obvious that he means to sound confident, but his voice squeaks. "Just because you're wrong doesn't mean you have to maul me!"

She steps forward and he steps back, raising the table as a shield. "I'm _not _wrong," she says angrily, a hiss creeping its way into her throat.

"Yeah you are! We can't both be right...that wouldn't make any sense," Po stammers, eyeing the door like he just make a run for it.

"I know. _I_ am right, and _you _are wrong." Tigress tries to smile politely, but it simply reveals her razor sharp teeth and Po breaks into a sweat again. "See how well that works?"

Viper pulls out of view, raising an eyebrow at Mantis. "What are they fighting about now?"

"I dunno, but it sounds stupid," he says bluntly.

"Mantis," she chides, "They aren't kids anymore. They fight over serious issues."

"You wanna bet on that?"

"You're on," she smiles slyly. "Loser has to take the winner's chores for a week."

"Make it two."

"You're pretty confident for a bug."

"You're pretty confident for someone who has no legs."

They glare at each other but an echoing thud both sends them a foot in the air. Together they peer in again to see that the previous image had changed.

Now, Tigress has Po pressed against the wall, yelling savagely into his face. He looks like he's about to faint, or wet himself, or possibly both. "Easy!" he begs, trying to wiggle out of her grasp "Please don't kill me!"

"Admit I'm right and I'll let go of you."

"_Ohh _no, that's like forfeiting! Plus my dad told me not to lie, and telling you that is a big fat one!"

His chuckle is caught off by the tightening of her grip. "Denying my obvious rightness is dishonoring your father's teachings," she growls, voice low.

"Well don't dishonor _your _dad's teachings...uh..." Po trails off as he realizes what he's said. Tigress' hold on his neck slackens and he falls to the ground with a loud thump. She glares at him, too many emotions on her face to simply choose one.

"Damn," Mantis whistles quietly. "That was a really stupid thing to say." Viper notes the alight hint of worry in his voice as he adds, "Should we stop her before she kills him or something?"

Yes, the snake wants to agree vehemently but her head shakes it's disapproval on its own accord. "No," she says, sounding more confident then she really feels, "I think they need to work this out on their own."

She takes his silence as understanding.

"So you want Po to die?"

Obviously she overestimated his perception.

Patiently, Viper explains, "No, I just think they need to talk it out by themselves. It would be best for their friendship." Almost inaudibly, she huffs, "And their little love-hate thing."

He shrugs, not hearing her last comment, -" I hope you're right, for the sake of Po's face"- and looks back to the scene.

In the time they had looked away, Tigress had worked her way into Po's embrace and seems to be enjoying it. Or at least, Viper assumes so, as Po's still in one piece and isn't bleeding. "I'm sorry," the panda says quietly, "I shouldn't have said that."

"Damn right," Tigress snaps, but her heart isn't in to it. Face buried in Po's thick shoulder, she suggests, "Now let go of me before I force this table down your throat."

He complies, quickly, and raises his eyebrows at her. "Uhm...I..."  
>He sighs, a small puff of breath between his lips, and states, "I should probably stop doing that."<p>

"Hugging me? Or saying thoughtless things?"

He rubs the back of his neck. "Both I guess. Unless you want me to...like...hug you..."

Viper can't read the expression on Tigress' face as she watches the panda. For one moment, her gaze softens, then quickly returns to its usual hardness. "No," she says a bit too quickly, "I'd rather you not."

An awkward silence hangs between the two before Po clears his throat. "So does this mean I'm right?"

Mantis clucks his tongue. "Kid doesn't learn."

"At least he's a live," Viper says, wincing as Po is thrown at the wall again. "For now anyway." Her eyes widen as Tigress forces the bear into a complex hold.

"_Owwww_! Tigress that _huuurts_!"

"It's supposed to."

"Leggo of me! Owwww _UNCLE_!"

"Tell me I'm right."

"No way- Y'OUCH YOU'RE RIGHT. YOU'RE SO RIGHT IT HURTS."

A small, smug smile dances on Tigress' lips. "Now say it."

"Say what?"

"_It_. Don't play dumb, Po."

"Nuh uh! _Never_! I already said you were—Y'OW STOP DOING THAT! MANTIS, MONKEY, VIPER- SOMEONE HELP ME TIGRESS IS GONNA-"

His cries for helps drowned out by sudden boisterous laughter. He shuts his mouth and gapes as Tigress slumps to her knees- wheezing and holding her sides. "What," she chokes out, "are you doing?"

"Trying not to get killed," Po replies, cheeks tinged pink.

"I'm not going to kill you," Tigress reasons, offended. "Why would think that?"

"Oh I dunno- maybe because your claws are _in_ my _freaking_ _neck_right now!"

She releases him, frowning, and he nods his thanks. "That really hurt..." he mumbles, rubbing the red spots on his neck.

"My apologies," she replies, quiet and thoughtful. The laugh died on her lips and doesn't reappear. Viper knows the look; it's regret. The tiger didn't mean to smile, to laugh, and Pos unintended insult hits her harder then it should've. "We should go train." Her words are slow, carefully chosen, cold.

"No." Po shrugs at her sudden seriousness. "We gotta settle this now." shaking only slightly, he places both paws on her shoulders and forces her eyes to meet his. Green eyes melt as they meet fiery red, and Po furrows his brow. "Admit. I'm. Taller. Then. You."

"You are _not_!" Tigress insists, jabbing a thumb at the wall. She's growling again, all menacing at ferocious-like. Two marks Viper hadn't noticed before lined up almost perfectly with each other. "My mark is obviously higher then yours!"

"In your dreams maybe," Po snorts. The moment between them passes and they're at it again. "Look; mine's like, a whole _meter _above yours!"

"Lies, panda."

"Nuh uh."

"Yes."

"No way."

"_Yes_ way."

They both let out equally frustrated sighs. Tigress shoves Po backwards. "Why can't you see reason, Sir _Stupid?"_ she hisses, sounding uncharacteristically immature. Viper can't help but think that Po's personality finally rubbed off on her.

Po crosses his arms, taking the pouty expression of an upset child. "Why can't _you _admit when you're wrong, Miss I-have-a-giant-pole-_up-my-butt_?"

There's a pregnant pause to digest the insult Po had just dealt. Three jaws drop, one clamping shut immediately and growling; the other two releasing loud, pent up laughter. The fighting masters' heads whip towards the door, Po blushing and practically tripping over himself to get away from Tigress, and said feline simply blinking. They both glance at each other, before their gazes find the hysterically laughing duo in the doorway.

Viper's – despite knowing she's lost the bet – giggles are sharp and loud. Mantis' deeper chortles put their laughing symphony in a perfect harmony.

Many minutes pass like this- Po and Tigress growing more and more uncomfortable now that the stupidity of their argument is dawning on them, and Mantis and Viper cracking up. Finally, finally, the insect composes himself long enough to say, "Lucky you Viper: I'm on bathhouse duty this week."

"Shut up Mantis," Viper suggests, still giggling. To Po and Tigress, she says, "Will you two kiss already? The sexual tension is driving me mad."

Po makes a strangled sound on the back of his throat ("_Viper!" _he all but squeaks, glancing nervously at the feline) and Tigress' face acquires an exasperated look.

Mantis jumps to pat her head, jerking a pincer at the snake as he lands. "Have I taught her well or _what_?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Helloooo again!**

**Did you like last chapter? I thoroughly enjoyed it! The inspiration for this one hit me when...well...I don't know really. This chapter is just me softening the blow for what's gonna happen a few chapters from now.**

**I'm happy to say this is the first AU in the drabbles, and I only have one more planned so no it's not a regular thing. I just wanted to challenge myself with this prompt. And challenging it was...**

**But do not fear! Monkey is here (with a fanbase!)**

**#44: Insane**

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><p>A young man pushed his short black hair out of his eyes, licking his lips at the meal laid out before him. The bowl of noodles steamed- the wisp of warmth curling around his face.<p>

Drooling, he picked up his chopsticks. "Thank you Mr. Ping," he said slowly, the corners up his lips turning into a smile.

"No problem at all, Master Monkey," the short old man replied, hiding his hands in the sleeves of his robe and bowing. "It's a pleasure, really. You bring me business, I bring you noodles! Fair trade?"

"Very fair!" The young master nodded eagerly, eyes still stationed on the food, and hardly noticed when Mr. Ping chuckled and returned to his kitchen. Without further ado, he stuck his chopsticks in, twirled, and brought them back to his mouth.

As he chewed, a low hum rumbled in his chest. He didn't care what anyone said—food would _always _be better then anything else.

No exceptions.

Grinning now, Monkey prepared for another delicious bite—when he got the strange (and rather unwelcome) feeling that someone was watching him. Hesitantly, he looked up from his meal…

…and saw the biggest, most attentive pair of gray eyes staring back at him.

Had he not been trained to expect the unexpected, his bowl of noodles would be flying above his head. However, he _was _trained, and therefore only felt the need to clear his throat and raise an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

The eyes, which belongs to a sandy haired girl in her lower twenties by the looks of is, wearing a purple tunic and a pink sash tied around the waist. She leaned forward on her elbows, squinting. "I hope you can," she said, rather suggestively. "I'm Ai." Then, raising her eyebrows, the girl rephrased herself, "I'm _love._ Or should I say _in _love?"

Monkey blinked. Of all the times a girl could flirt with him, it had to be when he was starving and drooling. Real funny gods; real funny. With a reluctant sigh, he pointed at his noodles. "I'm eating."

"I know," she replied dreamily. "You're doing a great job, by the way."

He pulled away, brow raised to his hairline. "…of eating?"

"What? Oh, no!" She giggled—a sound meant to be intriguing but really just made him want to plug his ears. "I meant a good job protecting China! It's worked wonders on you." She finished with a wink, "and on one half of the population, if you catch my drift."

"Oh, well, thank you," Monkey coughed, looking longingly at his food. Not that he didn't like the compliment – there was a reason his chest was puffed out a bit more – but it had been a _long _day of training, and a _long _time to build up an appetite.

And those noodles were _taunting _him.

"No offense to you," the young man went on, sounding tired, "But I'm really hungry and fairly unpleasant when I don't get my daily noodles." Once again, he pointed at the said bowl of noodles.

"And _I_," the woman said slowly, voice almost a purr, "get unpleasant when my advances are rejected." Slowly, she placed her hand over his, tracing small circle on the back of it. "But you're not rejecting me…are you?"

Monkey jerked away so fast, the broth in his bowl splashed over the girl's hand. She winced and yanked her hand towards her chest, blowing profusely at it. "Listen," he tried to keep his voice calm, "I've gone _thirteen hours _training today, and all I had was a peach somewhere at hour seven; I'm _starving _and I have the most beautiful bowl of food staring at me right now, yet somehow I'm not eating it." He took a shaky breath and pointed at her with his chopsticks. "And that's thanks to _you._ Now please, I'm begging you here, save your very appealing mannerisms when I don't feel the need to eat anything that moves."

He ended his rant with a slam of his fist on the table, shoulders shaking. Ai simply stared at him and blinked. Her face contorted in a way he'd seen on Viper a few times, and for one fleeting moment he thought she was going to cry.

Then he felt broth dripping from his hair and a mess of noodles sliding down his back.

"I just wanted to have some _fun_!" Ai seethed, tears squeezing out of her eyes. She huffed, dusted her hands together, and with a final, "_Jerk!_" stood up and stomped away.

The exit drew the attention of many costumers—whose jaws were dropped as they watched Monkey pull noodles out from behind his ears. He sighed heavily.

"If any other attractive-girl-crouching-maniacs want to try their hand with me, now would be the time," he joked, smiling and looking around him.

However, the smile ran off his face along with some spicy soup as a wave of young girls surrounded his table, squealing and posing and just being unnecessarily _loud _and _girly._

"I can be attractive!"

"I can be a maniac!"

"I can be both!"

And that was how Monkey came limping back to the Palace, clothing torn in numerous places and a considerable amount of lipstick stains covering his face. There was also a decent sized bruise growing on his neck, but since he had no idea where (or who) it had come from, he did his very best to believe it didn't exist.

Coincidentally, that was the very day Monkey decided that, if he could help it, there was no way he was ever going to get married. Or even have a girlfriend. Or – and this actually brought tears to Mantis' eyes when he learned why – eat around the women of the Palace.


	17. Chapter 17

**Sheeeeeeee's baaaaack!**

**With another crossover!**

**Well, RidingtheRoughWaters, you've been waiting for this since I brought it up for_ever _ago, and I apologize dearly for the wait. But here it is! Lily is making a star appearance in the chapter!**

**Honestly, it was supposed to be...well.. nothing like how it turned out. She was going to have a lot of witty lines and awesome comebacks, but I haven't written anything but humor for like, 5 or more chapters now...and really, she's such a dynamic character. I had to give it a try! Ironically, she _still _has witty lines...but for gods' sakes she's Lily; it's impossible to make her serious for too long.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kung Fu Panda and I definitely don't own Lily. That honor goes to RidingtheRoughWaters, who is the author of Sibling Rivalry, which is a really funny/family/heart warming story about...well, I'll let you read it!**

**So, without further ado, it's chapter 17! (AH I'm more then 1/4 the way done!)**

**#3: Hope**

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><p>He's scared.<p>

The fear is in his eyes—dancing in his emerald irises and glinting off his pupils. Its iron grip clamps on his soul, it pulses on his skin as he grips her paw. She can feel it - it would be impossible not to - and it, in turn, scares her. Subconsciously, she grips the staff the older red panda had given to her days ago, the last time she'd seen him. The last time she'd seen anyone alive and breathing but the taller panda gripping her wrist.

Tears prick the back of her eyelids as she recalls the last words they'd said to her.

"_Hey," Mantis winked and cracked a smile, "even if something happens to us, you'll be fine. If the look on your face is anything to go by, Shen'll be dead in a couple days."_

_She shrugged, but couldn't argue._

_Monkey passed her a bowl of soup, bending around the bonfire to do so. Humor flashed in his eyes as he nodded in agreement to Mantis and pointed up at the stars lighting up the night's sky. "Remember: they say the stars are the elder's of the past," his finger fell to the left, "and the moon is the goddess of Hope." There was a pause as he stopped to slurp his soup. He shrugged, grinning sheepishly at the dropped jaws around him. "What? The funny guy can't be sentimental?"_

_Her fist met his shoulder affectionately._

_Viper, too worried to stomach anything, smiled though her eyes revealed a sadness she was much too young to be feeling. "Promise me…" her voice broke, and tears flooded over her eyelids. "Promise me," she tried again, "if we ever get split up, you'll put up the most legendary fight to ever go down in history?"_

_In response, she had crossed a finger over her heart and smiled cockily. "They won't know what hit 'em."_

_Crane shifted his gaze and lowered his head, muttering something about hundred kilo beams crushing people like they're supposed to. He was quiet, painfully so, for so long. "Amazing," he said finally. "You're the most amazing… yet completely illogical kid I've ever met." Then he forced a smile and shrugged, pleased with his compliment but also embarrassed he'd said it in the first place._

_She laughed and stole his hat._

_Tigress stared into the flames, which reflected off her eyes in a way that sent shivers down Lily's spine. "You're strong." The tiger looked up. "It's a shame Master Shifu didn't get a chance to train you longer. You would've been one of the best." Her eyes flickered to the older panda sitting next to her, and shut tightly. "Definitely _one_ of the best. The spot as _the _best, however, is saved for your brother."_

_Lips drawn in a serious line, she placed a fist in her open palm and bowed to the tiger master. _

_Master Shifu stood and extended an old paw to her, fingers curled around the staff she'd grown to think was a fifth limb. "Here," he said softly. "It's yours. This was once Grandmaster Oogways blessed staff, which was passed down to me after his passing. I thought I needed it to remember my master, but now I know you need it to remember yours."_

_She tackled him in a too-tight hug that he outwardly hated, but she knew he appreciated it when he worked his little arms around her shoulders to return the embrace._

"In here," the taller panda hisses, pulling her out of sad memories and into a nearby room. She obeys, because she has to get away from the destroyed state her home is in, and he slams the door behind them.

"They'll break through," she says smartly, after a moment's pause. Her gaze finds a dresser- and she moves toward it quickly. "Help me out."

He obliges, and together they're able to place the dresser beneath the doorknob. She sighs and rests on her heels, leaning against the wall. "That'll hold 'em off."

"For now." His brow is furrowed, his lips a deep frown. Sweat beads on his forehead. He looks away from her towards a window. "We need to get you out of here."

"Funny. Real funny." She shakes her head. "I'm not going anywhere, dunderhead."

He bites his lip- a sign of just how nervous he is. "Listen," his voice carries authority she never knew he had, "Every part of me wants you here. I swear. But you can't hold your own, and I'm not sure just how many wolves are out there, and...and..."

Suddenly, his paws are on her shoulders. "I can't lose my family again, Lily," he admits, his tone hiding just how broken his heart is.

She is at a loss for words. Her mouth opens and shuts itself, a paw rising towards her lips. In a flash of movement, it becomes a fist and flies out, meeting her brother's stomach with a hollow thud. He wheezes and steps away; recoiling from her like she's the fire licking the trees just outside their home. He winces as the fist rises for another blow. "Idiot," she seethes, and again punches him.

"Why the hell-" she takes in a shaky breath and shoves him backward, "Why the _hell _would I let you go just when things are _finally _getting there? Getting normal; after three- _three _years! We're a family, Po, and we've split apart one too many times by the same assholes setting fire to my village right now! You're even _more_ dense then I thought if you think for one measly second that I'm going to skedaddle out of here when the going get's tough. I...I've already-" Her anger melts into passion, as she accents her next words with more blows. "I've - already - lost - you - once!"

Her fist drops, lifeless, by her side. "I've _already_ lost you once," she reiterates, as if he didn't hear her the first time. "And I'm not letting it happen again."

They face each other, and in perfect sync reach forward to pull the other into a hug. The top of her head just barely reaches her chin; and she chuckles like she means it for the last time. They'd been growing in a perfect parallel, starting from the gloriously crappy day three years ago they'd been reunited. Something in the back of her mind tells her she should be entirely grossed out by this much affection being shown at once, but she shoves it away and let's herself appreciate her brother.

There's a sudden thud on the door, and a series of shouts. He pulls away from her reluctantly, shakes his head, and sighs. "We're going to die." It's simply stated, without emotion or hesitation. It's the truth, and they both know it.

She doesn't even glance at the window as she nods. "Probably." Her back straightens and her arms reaches behind her to pull the staff tied on her back free.

"He'll make sure it's slow and painful."

"And I'll talk his feathers off all the while." She notices for the first time that the staff is engraved.

"We may never know what happens to Mom and Dad."

She reads the inscription and feels like screaming. "I...I know."

"You'll never get a chance to get married." He pauses, raises an eyebrow. "You _are_ of marrying age, right?"

"Damn right I am. But I'm not getting tied down." She's studying his face; trying to have the image of him set in her mind forever. A small smirk grows on her face, and she welcomes it. "You can't get married either hot-shot- which is a darn shame; I was planning on naming your first tiger-panda...thing."

"We wouldn't be able to have kids togethe—_wait, did you just—_"

The door bursts open, a wolf wielding a hammer at its fallen base. She turns to him calmly, taking in the stupid grin he's wearing to the symbol sewed on his uniform. Her fingers curl around the staff as her knees bend; ready to jump into action.

"You're the worst sister in the world," Po says, raising two unsure fists, voice cracking for the first time. What he doesn't say is; _I love you and I'm so, so, sorry it's going to end like this._

The wolf takes a step forward, a sickeningly smoky smell about him.

"And you're the most idiotic brother to ever walk the earth." An empty smirk is cast his way. _Shut up; I chose this 'cause you're too dumb to live without me. Now grow a pear and stop acting like it's the end—it's not._

The wolf sneers, "How touching," and then he's lunging and she's dodging and feinting and striking and—gods— is this how Po always feels in battle? Like he's watching a stranger, unable to control his limbs, fear and adrenaline fighting for dominance in his heart? Is he able to see incredible detail in everything- things he never noticed, never cared about? Can he feel the blood coursing through his veins? It's scary, she decides as the hammer ricochets off her staff, it's terrifying and she hates it and loves it all at once.

The wolf arches his back and howls, she feels rather then hears the backup storming into **her** house, setting fire to **her** things, trying to kill **her** brother, and probably returning from witnessing the death of **her **friends with gleeful smiles.

She roars, loud and intimidating, and attacks by instinct rather then skill. She's crying, for her home, her people; and laughing at the idiocy of herself and Lord Shen's sheer determination.

However, she's not fighting alone.

A power directs her punches, whispers instructions in her ear. Its murmuring is all she can hear, though it's mistaken for a pounding heart, and pulsing in the staff clutched between her fists, giving a heartbeat to a weapon. It's a power that Shen himself would never be able to rip from her cold, lifeless body, smiling in the face of death.

She steps back to assess her enemy, to remember what he did, to see her brother barely dodge a sword's edge, to feel the haunting need to wipe that grin off his face, and the goddess tells her to go for his throat.

* * *

><p><strong>Whoo, that was fun!<strong>

**A couple things that would've been spoilers to say earlier... *PLEASE READ***

**1) This is an AU about 3 years in the future (meaning she's 17). Shifu had decided it would smart to teach Lily the basics of kung fu, and trained her for about a year(starting when she was 16). Seeing how he was practically a grandfather to her, it wasn't that hard and that got along fairly well. She was described as being physically fit, so it was just a matter of adding skill to the mix.**

**2) They were in Pandania because it was Po's birthday, and they were celebrating with his family.**

**3) Shen returned a heard word that the Dragon Warrior was in Pandania, and made plans to destroy the pandas for good. Out of spite, if nothing else. He rounded up a rag-tag army and they were to storm right through the Panda village. It's hard to keep a large army like that a secret though, so he was seen- but it was too late to evacuate more then the sick/elderly/children. The night they were around the bonfire was the night before Shen's invasion, which is why they seem to be discussing the end of their friendship.**

**4) Po and Lily were split up from the others when they tried to save their parents. It was meant to be a stealth mission, but Shen's wolves caught them and they were easily outnumbered.**

**5) If you didn't catch the Lion King reference, then you have no childhood. Also, the bit about the moon being the goddess of Hope was completely made up and sort of insight for an upcoming chapter. I have no idea if it's an actual part of Chinese culture or not.**

**Lastly, if you're confused about the end (I'm hoping I made it clear, but hey, you never know) then feel free to drop me a review and I'll answer your question in the A/N of the next chapter.**

**Now that you've read all this, go read Sibling Rivalry!...please? **


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Summary: The four times Tigress and Po were awkward, and the one time they weren't.**

**A/N: So I just realized, this hasn't been updated in forever. And the Drabble list is killing me. So I'll use it when I can, and dump it when I feel the need to do so. While writing this, I learned how much I love the '4 is 1 isn't' type prompt...so I'll probably be doing this a lot more often.**

**Have you read Winged Bravery yet? Please do! Next chapter...well, I actually need some ideas. PM me or leave your thoughts in a review. And the Nobody?**

**...**

**...**

***awkward cough Anwayyy...I tried not to make this too fluffy...since I don't really see Tigress as a fluffy person (other then her tail! for gods' sakes look at that thing! it's like shifu's!) but it still has fuzzy elements.**

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><p><em><strong>Fireworks<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>I. <em>Because Tigress Can't Relax<em>**

Relaxation doesn't come easy to her, but she's learned a lot from the panda, who she now has no shame in calling her best friend.

As if hearing his name inside her thoughts, he waddles up to her, sporting a smile. "Room for two under that tree?" he asks casually.

She nods and slides over, giving him enough space to be comfortable. It takes several minutes for him to get settled, but she's happy to wait.

Vaguely, she wonders if she's gone crazy.

"So," he prompts amiably, "Whatcha up to?"

"Relaxing," she replies. A sigh follows, and she looks off to the side. "Trying to, rather."

"Ooh! I'm awesome at relaxing!" Po squeals, looking positively giddy. He acquires a serious expression quickly. "I mean, I could totally help you relax."

She's more then a little concerned about his methods, but shrugs and pokes him, "Give it your best attempt."

To her surprise, he jumps at the contact. "Er..." he mumbles and his look vacant. He blinks rapidly, a sheepish smile curling on his lips. "Heh, well, get comfy first."

She obliges; leaning back on the tree and letting her body go limp. Instantly, she feels drowsy. Maybe the panda did know what he was talking about...

"Continue," she says, eyes closing. Shes aware of his shifting, but doesn't know what it is until their shoulders are brushing against each other. Rather then give him the satisfaction of letting him know how much he flustered her with the simple movement, she closes her eyes tighter and sighs.

"Now think of something awesome. Like, it needs to make you feel happy. Choose your favorite memory and just relive it again."

Sadly, Tigress doesnt have a vast selection of happy memories, but there are a few. Her tongue reacts before her brain can clamp down on it, "The fireworks. After defeating Lord Shen at the harbor."

Her eyes snap open immediately, and his are wide and confused. She blinks and forces a small grin. "What? Did you think I don't have a happy memory?"

"No, I, uh, no." He shakes his head vehemently. "Nope. Not even. I dunno why you'd think that." He looks a bit uncomfortable as he adds, "I just thought it would be..." his face takes up a bright shade of pink that makes Tigress wonder how hard he must be blushing for it to show through his fur. "Erm. Nevermind."

She raises an eyebrow. Had his stuttering always been so amusing?

"Anyway," he plows on. "Try to feel the happiness you felt then."

Again she obliges, and surprisingly the task is easy. Her brain is filled with images of exploding colors, destroyed sea vessels, soaking wet pandas...

Only when he squeaks a barely audible, "What?" does Tigress realize she's been thinking aloud.

The term awkward fit in this situation quite snuggly.

"Um," she says thoughts as slow as molasses. She opens her mouth and intelligently says, "Um," again. "You…you looked odd dripping from head to toe."

He nods in a way that says _I don't believe that for a second _but saves her from a stammering explanation by going along with it. "I bet I did look pretty funny soaked." He grins, "But _you_looked worse."

She can't help herself; she laughs. Then she cuts it short with a curse. There are reasons she doesn't laugh, but the most prominent one is that the sound resembles someone choking on a mahjong price quite closely.

It doesn't help that he starts laughing at her, and looks pained between trying not to hurt her feelings and finding the sound hilarious. She, in turn, thinks he sounds hilarious- and the ending result is a cycle if guffaws that refuse to end for much too long.

"Stop," she finally manages to say. "You're very distracting."

"Not as much as you are," he shoots back without missing a beat. The silence falls thick and heavy over them.

It takes Po a full minute to realize why she's stunned silent.

"Oh, no, nonononono, I meant your laugh is—uh—distracting. Not you." He looks as if he wants to swallow his own foot, and honestly, she wishes he would. "Not that you're not pretty, 'cause you _are_! I just…" his ramblings trail off into mindless babbling that she doesn't bother trying to decipher.

She casts the embarrassed panda one last look before deciding she's further away from relaxation then she was _before _Po had showed up.

* * *

><p><strong>II. <em>Because Children Are Blunt<em>**

Tigress looks blankly at Shifu. "No," she deadpans, before she can stop herself.

"No is not an option."

Her voice becomes a bit more strained as she asks, "Then what _are _my options?"

"Yes, or yes Master."

She blinks at him. Instead of either of the two phrases, she asks, "Where is he?"

"The kitchen, I believe." Shifu's tone becomes a bit more sympathetic. "Please don't kill him. He's making dinner tonight."

She acknowledges his words with a non committal grunt, already stalking towards the kitchen. Each step makes her emotions flare. By the time she reaches her destination, they've declared war on each other.

"Po," she says curtly. He nearly drops the jar is thick was shoved into, spinning around with cheeks buldging to the point of exploding.

"_Fifress!" _he mmphs, sounding surprised. He swallows loudly, winces, and pleads, "If Monkey asks, you never saw me here."

She raises her eyebrows.

"Ti-_gress_!"

"Fine," she finds herself saying for the second time. "But you need to get cleaned up. We…" she inhales sharply, "are teaching a class today. In ten minutes. Together."

He nearly trips in his haste to rush out the door.

The first thing Tigress notices about the young bunnies is that they talk fast. _Incredibly _fast. More then once, she has to cut them off and ask them to repeat themselves, slower, so she can understand.

The second thing is that the kids don't care for authority.

"I said," one particularly mouthy boy sneers, "will you be teaching us some super-awesome double team kung fu moves?"

A chorus of pleas follow his words, and she and Po share a look. His expression reads terror mixed with amusement, which can't possibly be a good combination, so she shakes her head and tried to ignore how heartbroken the kids look.

"But, but, but, I wanted to see you two fight together!" A teary eyed girl pouts.

"Please!"

"You'd look so cute!"

Tigress' ears shoot up at the last comment. Her voice raises an octave as she inquires, "What?"

"You would!" a gray-furred boy chimes in.

"Lookie—Po's blushing!"

"He likes her!"

"He _loves _her!"

She turns on the panda, who is indeed blushing so profusely it's a miracle his face hasn't melted. He catches her eye, gurgles, and looks away in the same instant.

Perhaps, if she hadn't seen his reaction, she wouldn't have cared at all. But the children certainly were right about him blushing, and looking awfully shy, it was possible they were right about other things as well…

"She's blushing too!"

The blurted out observation is followed by astounded 'oohs' and 'aaahs'. She growls at the children, who grin up at her like _they aren't scared at all _and the only thing her mind can conjure is: _why me?_

"She loves him back!"

_No I don't _she wants to retort, but she's never been one to lie. Tigress turns to the side and puts a paw over her face. Her mind shuts down momentarily, and her head swivels to the side again. Po's watching her; eyebrows raised, mouth slightly open, cheeks a soft pinkish hue.

"Tigress, are you okay?" he asks gently, as if he's trying not to provoke her.

Before she even has the chance to reply, the children band together and shove Po forward. He's off balance, falling _forward, _collapsing on top of her…

Her mouth is moving, she's sure of it, but no words come out. He has her pinned down; paws pushing his upper body off of, well, _her_, eyes wide as they stare at each other. Her mind quickly recalls her happiest memory; the fireworks, his smile, the _hug, _the way her heartbeat had skyrocketed…

…the way it's skyrocketing _now_…

They move at the same time—he jumping to his feet and stammering apologies profusely; she leaping to a standing position, blinking at him. Her voice refuses to work, still, and she's left gaping at him.

The children giggle and gasp with so much excitement, she thinks they might burst.

"Ahem," she finally, _finally_, finds her voice. "This…this lesson is over."

He nods his agreement, taking up that peculiar shade of red again.

* * *

><p><strong>III. <em>Because Their Friends Aren't Blind<em>**

Tigress can feel the eyes on her, and feels a chill roll down her spine. She clenches her fists—not because she is angry, but because she is ashamed.

Shifu finishes his lecture; with a final disdainful look, he sentences them all to bed without dinner. He promises to spar with anyone who dares stay up later then he has said, then walks away, looking so disappointed…

The Furious Six remain silent, even after their master is out of earshot. Mantis breaks the quiet, with a low whistle and sigh. "Guys? We're idiots."

"No kidding," Crane says quietly.

"What were we thinking?" Viper sounds distraught. "Attempting to have a bonfire indoors doesn't even _sound _like a good idea!" Her face contorts in a way that looks as if she's wishing she hand paws, just so she could slap herself with them.

Tigress bows her head. "It is my fault. I was the one who suggested it," she murmurs, just as Po declares, "I guess this is all my bad, huh?"

She looks up, surprised. He's a bit confused as well, but recovers. "No, Tigress, this is _my _fault. I was the one that burned grass instead of wood. But in my defense, I didn't know it made that much smoke."

"No," Tigress shakes her head. "This is _my _wrongdoing. As the leader, it is my duty to—"

"Both of you, cut it out," Monkey states before she can go on. "It's _all_ of our faults. At least one of us should've had the common sense to realize we weren't burning wood."

Tigress is vehement; "But it really _is _my fault. Shifu knows it—he's so disappointed in me…."

Her words trail off into a half-sob, half-curse she hadn't seen coming, or she would surely have silenced it. It's not in her nature to cry at all, lest over something as petty as being in trouble, but the way he couldn't even meet her eyes…

Before she can drown herself in misery (and an unhealthy amount of self-scolding), a strong arm wraps around her shoulders and pulls her into a hug. She gasps along with everyone else, but doesn't try to break out of Po's embrace.

Face buried in his neck, Tigress is brought back to the fireworks. He's the same, a year later, a jovial, boyish, goofball of warmth and fur that makes her feel safe. She could've stayed like that all year until Mantis gives his opinion of the matter.

"Bet you five gold pieces they kiss next."

Both she and Po freeze.

Then jump back a good three feet.

"We will_ not _be kissing" is drowned out by "How could you say that?" which is taken over by "It was just a hug" until they can both agree on, "We're _just_ friends!"

All four of their friends share glances and smirk. "Right," Mantis says, eyes glinting. "For now, anyway."

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><p><strong><em>IV. Because Tigress Has Communication Issues<em>**

Tigress doesn't like talking to people.

She learned that a young age—when talking to people went hand-in-hand with _pleading _for a friend. If nothing else, a tiger kept its pride, and groveling was nothing to be proud of.

When he asks her _why _she's so abrasive towards strangers, she can't reply. Her thoughts are in the past—when he was a stranger; when she would've rather thrown him off the mountainside then have a conversation with him.

Now, she spends her days looking for reasons just to see him.

"Because," she finally states, "I'm pathetic. I judge others much too fast, when I truly should be judging myself. It seems there is no cure for pride, though I am in desperate need of one."

He's thoughtfully quiet. "Are you dissing yourself?"

She blinks. "To put it bluntly, yes, I am."

"You shouldn't. You don't deserve it. I mean, yeah, you can be kind of rude," she has the decency to look away; he _knows _just how rude she can be, "but you're also incredibly loyal to those you care about. Not to mention your humility. You never brag or boast or anything—which I totally would if I were as awesome as you."

Unwelcome heat rises to her face, and she's not sure how to respond.

He coughs in his fist. "But who am I to say? You gotta figure this out on your own."

He turns to leave. Her body works of its own accord—reaching out, grabbing his wrist, spinning him around, pressing her lips to his cheek. He freezes as she pulls away, mouth slightly open, a small sound emitting from his slack jaw.

She steps away hastily. "My apologies," she says quickly, tripping over her own words. "I…I don't know what came over me…" her mouth shuts abruptly, only to crack open again and utter, "…and the fireworks…"

He nods, and she's finally realizing why his face turns such a brilliant shade of red. Her fur is orange, _orange, _and there is no doubt her own face surpassed his in color.

"My happiest memory," she rambles on. "You're part of it. You _make _it."

Her palm meets her face, hard and unforgiving. He nods again, dazed. Slowly, his fingertips find his cheek and he holds them there. With only a growing smile to tell her anything, he turns and walks away.

Face contorted in self-caused agony, Tigress watches his back. She's _so very stupid_; what had she been trying to say? That every kind act was rewarded with a kiss?

Her face burns more intensely as she thinks, _Not that I would mind. _

She stays away from him for the rest of the day, but the thoughts of fireworks and kisses still bombard her mind. With a loud half-groan half-purr, she realizes that Viper can _never know _what just happened, or else…well she'd rather train then think of the possibilities.

* * *

><p><strong><em>And the One Time They Weren't…<em>**

Tigress smiles fondly as the words, "I do," finally jump off his lips.

"You may kiss the bride," comes next, and her heart goes out to him as he does just that.

Beside her, Mantis is brushing away manly tears. "I can't believe the dork went and got himself a girl—and she _isn't_ blind!"

Viper pats his back sympathetically. "_Love_ isblind…"

"Yeah," Monkey snorts, "So you still have a chance."

Tigress faces the front as the two men start a yelling match and catches Crane's eye; he beams at her, though he still looks quite shaken, and covers his newly-wedded wife's paw with his wing. The mountain cat, dressed up in veils and silk robes, waves at her and winks. Her smile is shaky, and tears are in her eyes, but Tigress gets the feeling their happy tears rather then sad ones.

To her other side, Po claps along with the crowd. "They look happy," he points out.

"They _are _happy," she corrects him.

Po nods. "I'm glad. They were totally made for each other. Except for Mei Ling being his total opposite and all, but obviously they got over that."

Tigress sighs wistfully, though it's completely mocking and she wishes it never happened. _Tigress _and _wistful _have never and will never go together. "Unbelievable. He's careful and thoughtful…"

Po imitates her sigh with an exaggerated batting of his eyelashes as well. "While she's a total badass and jumps into stuff headfirst."

"Brings a whole new meaning to the saying, opposites attract," she chuckles. "I've always seen Crane as an older brother, but now it's like watching a child grow up."

"He _is_ shorter then you," Po says hopefully, and she chuckles again. Standing, she turns to the panda and feels her heart skip a beat—in his golden robes, he looks quite handsome.

"You should dress up more often," she teases. Instantly, both her brain and heart chide her tongue for saying something so painfully obvious.

His eyebrows shoot up. "Really? I thought this stuff looked dumb on me…I'm not really one for special occasions." He smiled, "You look nice too! Maybe you should wear dresses more often. And jewelry. And make-up. And…wow…"

Tigress inhales deeply; it's now or never.

_Don't do this_, her brain warns, just as her heart chants, _Headfirst! Headfirst!_

Trying to ignore the mantra that matches the beating of her heart, Tigress wets her lips. "Let's make a deal. I'll dress up again, just like this, if…if _you _take me someplace I can show myself off."

He blinks, mulling it over. "Like a date?" his tone is hopeful and his eyes bright.

She attempts nonchalance. "Some would call it that."

Po places a paw around her shoulders, grinning madly. "You've got yourself a deal." Her heart does a flip in her chest. The urge to smile beats the need to look calm, and soon she's grinning as wide as he is. "Now," he gestures to the center of the gathering, where people of crowd around the newly weds. "Let's go show the geezers on the dance floor how to do it _right._"

"Po, neither of us could follow a rhythm if our life depended on it."

The grin flashes. "I know, but it's fun trying!"

They spin into a dance that neither of them know, and they both crush the other's toes. But no one, dancer or not, seems to be having as much fun as they are.

He spins her around with too much force, and she stumbles into Crane's mother, who smiles and accepts her apology. Po is laughing at that point—which gives her a good excuse to punch his arm.

"Sorry," he chortles, taking her paws again.

Too focused on staying upright, she only responds with, "Mhm." They sway in silence, bumping into other couples and horribly off beat—but after stepping on his toes for the fifth time, they're both sporting smiles.

"Listen, Tigress," Po starts, unable to meet her eyes. "I…there's something I need to tell you."

"Go ahead," she huffs, trying to mimic the fluid movements of Mei Ling. Just how did that girl get so flexible anyway?

Po continues, oblivious to her frustration. "I…well, I wanted you to know a couple years ago, when we defeated Shen. The fireworks afterward…I was trying-but I'm not sure I was clear." She's still distracted, hearing him like a soft hum in the back of her head. Only when he places his thumb underneath her chin does she look up.

And sees fireworks in his eyes.

"Can we—I know we're just friends…but could we be – you know – more?"

She looks to her right, where Viper is trying to show Monkey how to dance, and they actually look worse then she and Po do. To her left, Mantis is trying to seduce a fox—and by her expression, failing horribly. Next to them is Crane and his wife (she'll never get used to that) giving each other disgustingly cute stares, only interrupted by nervous words and giggles.

Her friends aren't around to add commentary. No one she knew well was nearby to ruin the moment. It's literally just _him _and _her._

The realization is _terrifying_.

Yet, her lips still curl upwards. "We can give it our best try," she replies. "But for now,

please refrain from breaking my toes."

He jumps back and yelps apologies. Only when she starts laughing does he stop and blush that signature shade of red only he can pull off. "I can live with that."

They dance again, in a comfortable silence only broken by curses when a toe is stomped on—and in Tigress' case, a tail as well—until Po utters, "So…did I really make up your favorite memory?"

"I suppose so, yes."

"Does that mean I'm like, super special to you? You can't live without me? You're head over heels in _loo-ooove _with me?"

He screeches like a young girl when she crushes his toe again. "Oops, how clumsy of me."

"I'm taking that as code for '_shut up' _…"

Tigress takes over for an instant, dipping him so low his head nearly touches the ground. "You'd be right," she smirks, and let's go of his wrists.

The whole wedding party bursts into laughter as Po thuds onto the ground, and Tigress can now thank him for _two _of her happiest memories.

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><p><strong>because, apparently, I can't write a single flipping thing without incorporating a Mantis-wisecrack somewhere in it.<strong>


	19. Chapter 19

**Friendship**

**Summary: Young Prince Naibu comes to live at the Jade Palace upon request of his father, and what is thought to be breeze turns out to be more of a hurricane. Other then the Prince's personality things couldn't get any worse. Or, so they thought…**

**A/N: What is this. I don't. Guys, this was _27 pages _in MS word, and really it's a rough draft for what could be a huge story later. It depends on the reception. Tell me what you think!**

**Also, who else is watching the new TV show? I dunno about you, but it absolutely kills me. I'm dying of laughter by the end of each episode. My favorite so far is Fluttering Finger Minslip (ARE THESE EVEN REAL WORDS!) what's yours?**

**Everything about zodiac signs is true stuff, btw. Sichuan and Yunnan are real provinces in Southern China. Naibu is a mixture of Japanese and Chinese, both words meaning _not. __Jenli _is Chinese for village. Every prince needs _dao _swords. Featuring and OC because I said so and my NaNoWriMo is going no where so sue me.**

**Disclaimer: Izzy Smiling does not own Kung Fu Panda. And no, it wasn't her 11/11/11 wish.**

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><p>"So let me get this straight," the Dragon Warrior, standing next to his master, said dryly. "This prince guy's gonna come today, and we have no idea what he's like, but we're expected to put our very lives on the life for him? And, not only that, but we can't like, kick him out or whatever because he could totally execute us?"<p>

Master Shifu nodded. "That's about right."

Upon Monkey's shoulder Master Mantis frowned. "Who agreed to this?"

"You did. All of you."

"And _when _did we do that?"

"The day I began training you." Master Shifu's logic was met with a stony silence. "It's not like you've never done this before," the red panda added, out of pity.

"Yeah," Viper said. "With _younger _royalty."

Jumping in, Monkey said, "Prince Nataku—"

"Naibu."

"—Yeah whatever, he could be a total moron and we wouldn't know." He didn't look at all sorry for his bluntness.

Crane, ever the optimist, aided Master Shifu. "Relax, guys. It's not the end of the world. How long is Prince Naibu staying with us, Master?"

The red panda attempted an innocent smile. "Oh...about…just a little over a few months…not too long…"

The Furious Five and Dragon Warrior didn't make a sound.

"You'll be keeping peace," their master went on hurriedly. "The Prince is at great risk of being captured or worse by his regions' neighbors, Yunnan. As you know, or should know, the two provinces have been uneasy with each other for over a decade. Both are showing signs of rebellion."

Mantis piped up, "A little rebellion won't hurt anyone."

Master Shifu glared at the bug. "Oh, yes it will. Rebellion could easily lead to war, with the two sides already unhappy with each other. War leads to death—which is your job to prevent."

"I still don't get how the Prince fits into this…" Po admitted.

"By housing the Prince here, it gives his mother and father one less life to worry about. He's likely to be murdered in Sichuan—and nothing starts war faster then the killing of their royal family."

The six younger warriors digested this information quietly as they followed their master to the doors of the Palace.

Tigress, who had managed to stay silent until that point, looked towards her master. "When is he supposed to arrive?"

"Shortly."

He left his answer at that, and she didn't pester him for more. Quickly, she stole a glance at her companions. Po seemed to be accepting the responsibility, Crane, ever anxious, just wanted the peace to be kept for as long as possible. Viper looked conflicted, Monkey skeptical, and Mantis downright livid with the decision.

"Also," their master said, "be respectful to the Prince."

A rapid knocking could be heard at the doors. Tigress gave one last look towards her friends, then stepped forward to answer.

As she swung the door open, a tall, lean tiger dressed in black trousers, a golden tunic with a purple streak going from his right shoulder to his left, a crown perfectly straight on his head stood in the door's giant arc, surrounding by three geese in royal blue. She bowed in respect, "Prince Naibu. We humbly welcome you."

The tiger looked down at her, and for one testy moment she suspected he was going to scoff. The instant passed and he smiled shyly, stepping inside with the geese in tow. "Er, thank you," he said quietly.

The inhabitants of the Jade Palace bowed to him as well, and if they didn't know any better they would've accused the Prince of blushing. "Oh, thank you, I suppose." The Prince tapped his fingers together, looking uncomfortable with the attention.

A goose stepped forward, revealing the most nasally voice Tigress had ever heard. "Thank you for housing our most beloved prince. The King and Queen of Sichuan are forever grateful to you."

"Anything for peace among brethren," Master Shifu said warmly. "I gather you will be returning to Sichuan this evening…?"

Another goose stepped forward, mirroring his fellow guide in color and demeanor. "Yes, we will be leaving our Prince in your hands after sundown."

An awkward silence fell after that. Po cleared his throat and stuck out a paw amiably. "Well, welcome to the Palace, Prince Naibu! It's…a…pleasure…?"

The Prince looked down at Po's paw and blinked. "You are the Dragon Warrior?" he inquired, ignoring the gesture of hospitality.

"Yep." Po grinned at him.

The Prince's eyebrows rose. "I see." He leaned towards one of his subjects, and in a voice clearly meant to be heard stated, "I thought they were kidding when they said he was a panda."

Po blinked.

Master Shifu caught the instant change in the Panda's aura—welcoming to hostile in under a millisecond—and cleared his throat. "Please, Prince Naibu, allow me to introduce my other students."

Viper quickly followed along, bowing to the Prince. "It's nice to meet you, your, erm, Highness. I am Master Viper, first daughter of Grandmaster Viper."

The Prince extended a paw gracefully, took her tail, and kissed it. His action froze everyone else in the room. "Charmed," he said with a suave tone that _definitely _hadn't been there a few moments ago. The snake looked more dumbfounded then anyone, but quickly got over herself with a smile.

Next, Monkey stepped forward. "Master Monkey, first son of Zhang Shengren." He scrunched up his eyebrows. "Not as fancy as Viper, though he's a businessman."

The Prince stared at Monkey with an unreadable expression. A smile broke out on his face and he heartily shook the primate's paw.

Po seethed quietly off to the side.

Crane introduced himself, "Master Crane. Second son of Master Bei Feng." He bowed respectfully, and the Prince did the same staring routine with him, until approving him (so it seemed) and patting him on the back.

Mantis cleared his throat and leaped gracefully on to Crane's hat. "Master Mantis," he declared, "Firstborn of natural good-looks."

A pause followed the insect's statement. Prince Naibu looked greatly offended with his fists on his hips. "That's strange…" he mumbled. "I do not recall having a brother."

Mantis' jaw literally dropped. "We're keeping him," he finally uttered.

Prince Naibu winked and turned….then froze. Just like that. His eyes were fixed steadily on Tigress, mouth agape, breathing shallow.

The feline master looked towards her friends—had she broken him? "Your Highness…?"

Prince Naibu recovered, blushing and reaching for her paw. "Pardon my rudeness," he stuttered. He kissed her paw and bowed to her, albeit stiffly. Almost as quickly as picking up her limb, he dropped it. "You're the famous Master Tigress, I presume?"

Tigress nodded, not sure whether to be offended or not.

"I've heard many stories about you." The Prince gave her a reproachful look. He spun away abruptly, taking a place between his servants again.

Oh yeah, she felt offended.

Po was glaring daggers at the Prince, while the others were kind of giving him wistful gazes. She actually had to nudge Viper to keep her mouth shut.

"Allow me to show you to your room, Your Highness," Master Shifu said. The Prince nodded his agreement and followed the red panda down the hall.

"Courtyard," Tigress hissed once they were out of earshot. "_Now." _

Po plopped in the dirt looking sullen. "I do _not_ like that guy," he muttered.

"How can you say that?" Viper looked starry eyed. "He's so _charming_. And handsome! His eyes actually sparkled when he looked at me…I would've gone weak at the knees, if I had them."

Crane rolled his eyes. "There's something off about him, Viper, Don't get smitten yet."

Viper grinned. "Too late…"

Mantis patted Po's foot sympathetically. "Listen, big guy, the Prince is obviously bipolar. No one goes from dealing insults to kissing girls without having mental issues."

Tigress sat quietly next to Po. "That is true," she agreed with Mantis. "He was rather…abrasive for someone ranked so highly."

"It's part of his charm," Viper sighed.

Monkey, beside her, gagged. "Good grief. I'm losing my lunch over here."

Only proving just how smitten Viper was, she didn't even attempt to shut Monkey up.

"Could you please be serious?" Tigress chided. "Something might be actually wrong with the Prince. Why did he look at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like he hated my very existence!"

"Really? He looked lovesick to me…"

An awkward pause followed. "That's why no asks your opinion, Mantis."

No one dared to add in their two cents.

**xXXXXXx**

Po, adding the finishing touches to dinner before everyone else came to the kitchen, heard a noise behind him. He put down his whisk and turned around.

"Oh!" His default smile tightened. "Prince Naibu." The only thing keeping him from ignoring the regal tiger was his politeness. "Dinner isn't ready yet, Your Highness," he said as he bowed respectfully.

The tiger prince only gave Po the evil-eye in response. He leaned against the doorframe, as if in a casual conversation, but the disgusted look on his face said otherwise. In the uncomfortable silence, Po eyed the Prince back. He was tall—much taller then him, and probably more muscular too. His eyes weren't yellow-red like Tigress'; they were kind of indigo…and looked like they belonged to someone much older. Just _how _old was the Prince, exactly?

"Year of the Horse," the Prince said suddenly. He narrowed his eyes, arms crossed resolutely over his chest. "While cheerful, quick-witted, and open-minded…they can be childish." He counted off each trait on his fingers, "Fickle. Gullible."

"Um…" Po was very uncomfortable with someone listing off his traits—and twisting them to sound so…bad. How did the Prince know what his zodiac sign was anyway? He'd known him for a little under three hours.

"Yang," the Prince continued. "And, I assume that you're of the Tree element." The tiger pushed off the doorframe, wearing a look that said _I'm so much better then you. _"Really, you don't even challenge me, Dragon Warrior. You're childish and gullible, which I saw today when I publicly insulted you; you acted in visible frustration, and, rather then retaliate, saw it fit to sulk with your friends later." He smiled at Po's bug eyes. "Yes I heard that. And please, tell the Master Viper that I'm flattered by her affections."

"Why'd you eavesdrop on us?" Po asked through clenched teeth.

Prince Naibu wagged a scolding finger. "I did not eavesdrop, panda, I overheard. Do calm yourself. While you _are _of the Tree element…those that have the sign of the Horse, you are naturally fire. You are life, yet, you also burn." His creepy/cool eyes twinkled mirthlessly. "If you are not careful, panda, you will burn what you love most."

"Are you an oracle or something?"

"No." The Prince frowned. "I am just wiser then you. Don't be too intimidated." He stepped forward—no _glided_. It was a step that was the very picture of elegancy.

"I'm not intimidated by a rich boy's fancy words," the Dragon Warrior responded a bit coldly. He didn't even get this. Why did the Prince take an instant disliking to him? Po was friendly, nice, and compassionate. What about that just _screamed _'hate me' to royalty?

The Prince looked taken back, but recovered with a cool smile. "I speak like an educated person," he said too gleefully, "and not a barbarian."

"I'm not a barbarian!" Po snapped. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "If you don't mind, Your Highness, I'm in the middle of dinner. Could you please leave?"

The Prince smiled again. "After you apologize for your rudeness."

Po was going to end this jerk. "Sorry for being…_rude_."

"Apology accepted," the Prince sang, gliding out the door. "Also, Dragon Warrior, please don't go relaying this conversation to the tiger you're so fond of. Not only will she not believe you, but she might feel you're…jealous of the fairer opponent."

He disappeared with a wink, leaving Po with the urge to punch through a wall. Po _never _felt like this. Unless you messed with his friends…or dad…or dinner…or—well, he made his point. A bit crestfallen, he had to agree with the Prince. Maybe he was a bit fiery for his own good…

He pushed the thought to the back of his mind until dinner.

Tigress took her seat beside him, as usual, across from Shifu and everyone else sat where they pleased. Prince Naibu sat at the end of the table, a suave smile on display for everyone. Po noticed Viper smiled rather contentedly as she sipped her soup, and she wasn't the only one.

"So," Monkey started, "Tell us about yourself, Your Highness."

Prince Naibu gazed wistfully into his noodles. "That's quite the task, Master Monkey." He shrugged and smiled amiably. "I am a rather boring soul, despite my high ranks. I wake up, I train, I sleep—just the same as you."

"You're trained?" Tigress asked calmly. Po smiled on the inside; she was glaring daggers at the prince behind her bowl.

"Yes, though in swordsmanship." Prince Naibu actually blushed modestly. "I have been with my Master Kikko since I was but a cub. He is my oldest and dearest friend."

Prince Naibu's face clouded over, suddenly, as if he recalled some horrible memory. He heaved a dramatic sigh and leaned forward, eyes sullen. "Though…I must admit to you…Master Kikko is getting old. Wise as an owl and sharp as a spear, the lynx is, but I fear he…will depart to the next life soon."

"We offer our many condolences," Shifu said sadly.

"And I humbly thank you." The Prince bowed his head.

A silence fell as everyone concentrated on food.

Prince Naibu cleared his throat. "I fear that was a killer of the conversation…would you care to tell me about yourselves? Don't tell my master, but," he leaned in closely, "I find kung fu to be a much more fulfilling profession then swordsmanship."

"I dunno… Using sharp, pointy object on people sounds pretty fulfilling."

The tall tiger laughed. "That it does, Master Mantis, but the foolish man, thinking a blind man wise, stabs his own eye rather then studies."

That didn't even _sound _like an actually proverb, yet everyone looked impressed with the Prince anyway. Po put on a smile (because two can be charming) and said, "Kung fu might seem that way because, unlike weaponry…stuff, it also strengthens the virtues."

The suave was replaced by cunning, as the tiger prince looked at Po. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were insulting my profession."

Po laughed…and stopped when all eyes trained on him. Most were glares, though Crane's were curious, and the panda stifled his giggles under coughs. "Um, I wasn't doing anything like that, Your-" he faltered and lowered his gaze –"Your Highness."

Prince Naibu looked unconvinced. Viper quickly covered Po's mistake. "Pardon the Dragon Warrior. His grip on reality is a bit…loose."

The Dragon Warrior made an outraged sound that resembled a balloon popping, while the others simply laughed at his misfortune. "Do lighten up, friend," Prince Naibu managed through chuckles. "We are simply pulling your ear."

"Yeah," Po mumbled, "I know that."

His tone was a bit sharper then usual, because Monkey and Mantis both turned towards him, eyebrows lifted. Po's face burned and he concentrated fully on his noodles. Forget the conversation. He wasn't going to jump in anymore.

A few more tidbits of petty conversation floated around until seconds were polished off, bellies were fully, and cheeks were rosy from laughter. Po had lightened up considerably, after his third helping. When Master Shifu deemed it time to ready for the night, he smiled and accepted the compliments for his cooking with a modest nod. "I'll take up the dishes."

"I'll help," Crane and Tigress said instantly. They glanced at each other, thinking the same thing no doubt. They all bid Prince Naibu goodnight, and Viper leaped at the chance to carry a one-on-one with the handsome tiger.

The two trailed behind Po as he waddled into the kitchen. It was a bit crowded, seeing as the sink was meant to mainly have space for two, but they managed.

"What's wrong, Po?" Tigress asked first, rinsing off a bowl. "You seemed uptight at dinner."

"Me? Pshh, I wasn't uptight. I was…I was _down_tight_. _Yeah…"

"Po," Crane deadpanned, "everyone within a three meter radius knows you're a terrible liar. Could you just cut to the chase and tell us what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Po said as he hastily dried off the bowl Tigress handed him. "Less then nothing. Negative nothing. I'm fine. Like, so fine, I could melt trees…with my…fineness…"

"Your lies are physically painful to hear."

The panda glared mildly at Tigress. "Look, if anything's wrong, metaphorically, you guys'll be the first to know. I swear on my dad's recipe book."

That was a pretty serious vow. Po's friends accepted his word, albeit skeptically, and finished with the task of washing the dishes talked about the new arrival.

"He's not a bad guy, I think," Crane said. "Good with words, that's for sure."

"Yes, he is somewhat charismatic. But I still think his body-language is strange. He'll tell an upbeat tale while his eyes darken and glower." Tigress crossed her arms. "It's worrying."

"Well don't be such a worry-wart. His Highness just has a royal pole up his butt, and everyone's afraid to tell him because they think he's smarter then them."

Silence met Po's deduction. Tigress slammed her palms on the countertop. "That's enough. You're going to tell us what's biting at you _right now._"

"I already said nothing—"

Po stopped when he caught wind of Tigress' murderous glare. He tossed the rag over his shoulder and sighed. "…You wouldn't believe me anyway…"

"So there _is _something!" Crane declared.

Po rubbed the back of his head uneasily. "…You could say that…I mean it's not a lot…just something that's nagging at me…"

Tigress and Crane waited.

"…do you…what if…" the panda tripped over his words. "It's like…the Prince is..." he looked down at his toes. "Mean," he finished lamely.

Tigress and Crane glanced at each other. "Mean…?"

"Yeah! He's a giant mean-faced, butt-brained jerk-a-thon!"

"Po…" Crane placed a wing on the panda's shoulder. "I think I get it."

"Thanks, Crane, pal, you're making this way easier—"

"You're jealous of Prince Naibu. I totally understand. Before now, you were the center of attention. He stole your thunder."

The panda fixed the bird with a mixture of horrification and embarrassment. "Never mind," he grumbled, storming out of the kitchen.

"Po, wait—"

"_Forget _it!"

**xXXXXx**

The Dragon Warrior woke to a pair of glowing eyes watching him. He jumped, fists at the ready, and felt his face burn like incense as a mocking laughter rang through his bedroom. "Calm down, panda, before you hurt yourself."

Po plopped back on his bed roll, facing the wall. "Then why are you here?"

"Because. I told you not to do something, and you went right ahead anyway." Prince Naibu stepped forward, his indigo eyes flashing. "I do not take kindly to disobedience, panda."

"Yeah, well, I don't take kindly to being pushed around for no reason."

"My people don't take kindly to acts of treason either." The tiger cut Po off short. "You're innocent, you say? Don't deny it. You called me, and I quote, a mean-face, butt-brained jerk-a-thon, did you not?"

Po blushed harder. "I did, I'll admit it."

"Treason, panda," Prince Naibu said ominously. He glided (enough with the gliding already!) out of Po's room without another word.

_So much for sleeping_, the Dragon Warrior thought.

**xXXXXX**x

A full month after Prince Naibu's arrival, he and Po still fought like cat and dog. It was obvious enough that they were polar opposites—and letting the prince along in a room with Tigress was just asking for a murder to occur, and for Tigress to make it look like an accident.

One dreary gray morning, as the students ate a small breakfast of tofu and eggsauce, Mantis glanced up at Po.

"Po, are you in love with the Prince or something?"

Of all the things Mantis could choose to say over breakfast, it had to be _that. _Po spit out his tofu out and proceeded to choke on the remnants. "I…*hack hack* _what!"_

"Well," Mantis plowed on, unfazed, "You kind of tense up every time someone mentions him. And you look really embarrassed whenever he's around. And you stare at him a lot."

Po nearly fell out of his seat. "_No_. NO. NONONONONONO."

"He does have a point, Po," Tigress said calmly.

"We wouldn't think any less of you if you did," Crane said honestly.

"I DON'T. WHAT—I—SINCE WHEN DO YOU START LISTENING TO MANTIS!"

Viper, always empathic, said, "Denial is part of love, I hear."

This struck up a small explosion of the masters trying to talk over each other. Crane and Viper looked absolutely dreamy, Tigress stony, Mantis laughing, and Monkey trying not to. Po wanted to die. NO WAIT—he wanted to make everyone forget their memories, _then_ die.

"I'm _not_," he reiterated, "_in love with Naibu._"

"Then why do you do all that stuff when he's around?"

"What stuff?"

"You tense up when he's around—"

"Because he kind of _hates my guts_."

"Okay…true enough. Why're you so embarrassed?"

The panda paused. He traced circles on the table. "'tkeepagoshdarnsecretanymore," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Because," Po said with finality. "And I do not _stare _at him. That's Viper's job." She nodded her agreement.

"Looks like staring to me."

Po glared at Mantis. "Can you please just…not? Naibu hears things he's not supposed to."

"A thousand pardons, Dragon Warrior," a voice from the hallway said, "but I assume that rather feeble love confession was not for my ears?"

Okay, _now _Po wanted to die.

He turned, slowly, turning an unhealthy shade of red. Mantis nudged him, "Sorry buddy," and Po didn't even feel guilty when he smacked the bug clean off the table.

"Don't flatter yourself, Prince Naibu," Po said in a perfect monotone.

The Prince glided into the kitchen with a gleeful smile. "If I heard correctly, _you _were the one flattering me. Or, attempting to, anyway."

The Furious Five decided to stay out of this. Battles, treaties, wars—that was a piece of cake. Love? How do you beat love in a fight?

Though, they were having second thoughts on the whole 'Po in love' thing. Nobody could muster a death glare that piercing to someone they cared about, least of all Po.

"Are you here to insult me?" Po asked, staring down the Prince.

"No." Prince Naibu paused. "Perhaps. Maybe if you didn't make it so easy…"

"First of all, that was Mantis being…Mantis. He tells the truth one time out of a thousand."

"S'true," the bug said from a whole in the wall.

"Secondly," Po continued, "Has anyone ever told you that eavesdropping is rude?"

"Has anyone ever told you that addressing royalty so carelessly is illegal?"

"You say so about every other hour!"

"Try listening when someone speaks. You'll learn a lot."

"Enough!" Tigress stood, whirling on Po. "You, calm down. We were teasing."

"But—"

"_Calm._" She turned to the Prince. "And please, Your Highness, do not provoke the Dragon Warrior. He's a loose cannon."

"_I am not a—"_

Prince Naibu sneered and shoved his face close to Tigress'. "Do not tell me what to do, peasant. You should be bowing before me."

Tigress' eye twitched. "_Peasant?_"

"Is everyone in this Palace hard of hearing?"

"_Peasant?_" Tigress repeated, and Po had to give her props. No one had ever managed to pack so much indignation in two syllables before.

Monkey stepped between the two felines, before the master likely killed the prince. "Listen, I don't care if you're the Queen of Sheba, don't call Tigress a peasant, or she'll kick your ass to India and then some."

Prince Naibu tutted. "The panda is rubbing off on all of you. For shame, Furious Five; your manners have fled, along with your spines."

There was a moment of testy silence. Mantis took to giant leaps forward with a battle cry of, "You've forgotten who you're messing with, Princess!"

The fight that followed was short-lived. Prince Naibu dodged Mantis' attack with a fluid motion, and quickly deflected Monkey's well-aimed kick with the same move. He side-stepped out of Crane's path, ducked underneath Viper, and thrust a chair in Tigress' face. Po tripped moments before he would've reached the Prince.

They all rounded for an attack again, where Naibu probably wouldn't be as lucky, when an irate tapping sound made them all raise their heads.

"_Stop this nonsense this instant!" _Shifu thundered, blue eyes swelling with rage. "How dare you insult the Prince with such childish behavior—"

"He started—"

"I don't care who started it, panda, I'm _ending _it. All of you to the Training Hall _now._ Your punishment will be delivered there, and you can apologize to the Prince later."

"But—"

"_Move!"_

If there was one thing that was scary, it was Shifu in the morning. If something could be scarier, it was angry Shifu. And if anything could single-handedly scare the pants off of any unlucky soul it was an _angry _Shifu in the morning.

Po struggled underneath the weight of the dumbbells on his back as he tried for his fiftieth push up. Beside him, the Furious five strained under even more weights, faces set as they listened to their master.

"You can't go more then a month without trying to main somebody! You're _adults _for gods' sakes!" the red panda brought his staff down on Po's head. "_Faster_."

Po obliged.

"The Prince could very well have you killed, did you know that? Of course you did! You're not fools, even if you choose to act like one. I expected better from all of you."

"Sorry, Master," they chorused, faces contorting in exertion.

"Say that to the Prince. You will each do one hundred and fifty more push ups, _then _fifty laps around the Village."

"The entire village!"

"Yes, the _entire _village, Mantis. Anyone who is upset with this can do one hundred fifty!"

No said anything. With a tut, Shifu left, making sure smack every one of them on the head before departing.

"S-sorry guys," Po said once he was gone. His shoulders were starting to ache. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"S'okay, Po." Mantis had twice as many dumbbells as Tigress did. "I attacked first. But in my defense, the Prince was being a—"

"Don't you think we've insulted him enough, Mantis?" Viper (obviously) couldn't do pushups, and instead had to pull herself up on a bamboo bar while a weight was attached to her tail. "I can't believe us. Jumping to a fight like hot-headed children…"

"I'd do it again, if I had to," Tigress spoke seriously, eyes trained on the ground.

"Definitely."

"No regrets."

"Duh."

Po smiled, though it was twisted and pained. "Thanks guys. If I could feel my arms right now I'd hug all of you."

"We lucked out then, didn't we."

**xXXXXx**

That night, everyone was too tired to eat, and Po was too tired to cook. His arms felt like noodles. His breathing was rapid and actually pained his chest. "OhmygodsIthinkI'mgoingtodie."

Mantis staggered with crazy, wild steps that he couldn't control. "Dammit…legs…work…"

Monkey fell a few moments after the bug. "What's the point of having four legs if they all give out at the same time?" he asked the bug, face-first in the wood.

"_I don't know_," Mantis said gruffly, trying (and failing) to roll on his back. "Po, old buddy old pal, I'm not mad at you or anything, but next time you decide to attack the Prince _please _remember that Shifu is a total sadists with killer punishments."

Crane nodded his agreement, Viper groaned hers, Monkey simply sighed, and Tigress tried not to look as fatigued as she felt.

The fell asleep there, sprawled in the hallways, only moments later. The sun hadn't even set yet.

Po woke up fighting.

No, really.

His fists were dodging and redirecting attacks, his feet side stepping. Upon waking up, he broke his fluid pattern—thoroughly confusing the stranger he was battling.

"What the heck's goin on?" Po mumbled, bleary eyed.

The hallway was deserted, save for what seemed to be a mercenary armed with a battle axe grunted and glaring at him. The Furious Five were no where to be found. Po could smell smoke faintly…

He blinked and so did the mercenary.

"Um, where were we?"

"I was just doing…_this!_" The armed ocelot swung his axe at Po's head. The Dragon Warrior grabbed the weapon's helm, yanked, and belly-bumped its wielder into oblivion (which was synonymous with the ceiling). Po ran down the hallway before the attacker had a chance to…attack.

"Guys?" the panda called, and was promptly dragged into a broom closet.

In case it wasn't obvious…broom closets were small. Trying to fit more then one person in there was just….awkward. Po was fairly certain that was Monkey's butt precariously close to his face, Tigress heels sitting on his head and Crane's…was Crane's hat on his tail?

"What the heck's goin on?" Po repeated, voice a heated whisper.

"Not sure." Even though the closet was pitch black, he could recognize Mantis' voice. "We think we're being invaded."

"No, really?" Po rolled his eyes. "I mean, why? By who? And how?"

"The Yunnan," Viper's voice said, "Apparently word spread that Naibu was staying here. Don't quote me on this, but I think it's because he snuck out last night at an ungodly hour without his cloak."

An uncomfortable silence followed.

Viper yelped, "Not that I would know! I was asleep! Wait, no, er…girl's intuition?"

"We'll discuss your midnight trips later," Tigress said, probably glaring with disapproval, "for now we need to focus. I'm not sure how many the Yunnan brought, but they outnumber us by at least twenty. If we can take the prince and flee, we might be able to save him still."

Po nodded. "Sounds like a—wait." He paled. "What about Shifu?"

No one answered.

"Guys?"

"We don't know," Crane finally replied. "We really don't, Po. We have to trust that he can take care of himself."

"Which he can." Monkey sounded aggressively serious. "So don't go torturing yourself thinking he's de—they got him or something."

Or something wasn't very vague. Po gulped, and did his best to clear the thought from his mind.

"We need to get out of here."

"The Palace?"

"No. Well yes, but I meant the closet."

"Oh…right." Po pushed himself on the door, and it didn't take much pressure for it to burst open. Unluckily for the heroes, a group of scouts dressed in brown had been patrolling the hallway. They attacked as soon as the masters showed themselves.

"We can take them," Monkey said, as Crane stood by his side. "Just go find the Prince!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Now go!"

Po didn't stick around to see who one the skirmish. He ran as fast as he could at Tigress' heels, with Viper and Mantis in tow.

"I hate splitting up," the snake said under her breath. "It makes everything look a lot worse then it is."

"No, I'm pretty sure that's the fire," Mantis informed her, just as a flaming plank nearly came crashing down on their heads. Po jumped back with a loud curse- his toe had caught fire.

"_Hot!" _the panda exclaimed, while Tigress commanded, "This way!"

She raced down a corner, and nobody hesitated to follow her. Po ran with a slight limp, seeing that his toes had looked like s'mores only moments before. "Where are we going?"

"If Naibu is smarter then he looks, he would've fled. Our best bet is to scourge the village for him."

"But that could take days! We need to move him out within the hour!"

Mantis gasped. "The forest! He could've gone there for a place to hide!"

Tigress leaped into the air suddenly, and deflected an arrow that surely would've pierced Po's skull if she hadn't done anything. "Good thinking Mantis. Now we just have to reach the forest."

Po's ear twitched. He turned and the sight behind him made his stomach flip. A group of fifteen boars, all dressed in brown with arrows or swords pointed at the small group stood behind them. The leader stepped forward, "Give us what we are looking for, and you're Valley will be left alone."

None of them had the chance to answer. An echoing voice from above bounced off the walls, "Never, you miscreant!" The Captain growled—and in the next second a deep slice was spurting blood from his forearm.

The Prince landed gracefully next to Viper. "I hope I'm not too late," he said casually, wiping stray blood off the blade of his _dao_ swords.

Po hated himself for thinking this, but he was actually glad the Prince showed up when he did. "Timeliness has never been your strongpoint," Tigress retorted.

"And regard for those higher up then you has never been yours, Master Tigress," Naibu said with just as much sarcasm. He bent his knees and lowered himself in a fighting stance.

"I'll let that slide. For now."

All five of them burst into action. Mantis was instantly smothered by two soldiers, who came back for more every time he landed a blow. Viper snaked (literally) her way through feet, tying them up and using their own limbs against each other. Somehow, Naibu and Po were fighting together, with Tigress knocking heads close by their sides.

"Duck!" Naibu ordered, and Po obeyed. The male tiger slashed at a mercenary's shoulder, missed, and barely dodged the retaliating blow. Po came to his aide with an eager fist to the opponent's face.

"Ugly guy with an axe to your left," Po warned. Naibu narrowly deflected the axe's blade with his own. He shoved the boar backwards.

"You blithering fools! You dare try to kill the Prince of Sichuan! You're cockiness will be your downfall," Naibu spat as he knocked the other man off his feet.

It was a short battle, but vigorous nonetheless. Po's arm was bleeding slightly, though not enough to be dangerous. "I'm fine," he assured Viper. "Let's keep moving for now."

"Pardon my asking," Naibu questioned as he struggled to keep up with Tigress, "but where are masters Monkey and Crane?"

Her face contorted for a moment. "Doing what needs to be done," she decided, and left her answer at that.

The smell of smoke was nearly overpowering. It made Po's eyes water and his nostrils burn. "What's on fire?" he coughed.

"I believe that would be my bedroom," Naibu said calmly. "Luckily I'm wearing my crown. It's made of the finest gold…just imagine if it had been melted!"

No one could waster their breath on trying to correct the Prince on his lack of compassion. They focused on running. Running out of the Palace…away from battles…down the stairs…and into the forest.

No food. No water. No shelter. It was just the five of them, grass, and bamboo. A lot of bamboo.

Po collapsed alongside the Prince. They both struggled to catch their breath. "My," Naibu panted, "gods, woman. Why must you run so fast?"

"She's trying to save your tail," Po growled. "Be more respectful."

Viper, anxiously, looked around. "Not now, you two. We don't have enough cover to quit moving yet."

"If I run another step I'll _die_," Naibu said. Po realized it must've been the first thing he and the tiger agreed on.

"Get up, both of you," Tigress hissed. "We need to keep going."

It took some persuading, and a lot of kicking, but the two worn out men finally stood again. They ran further into the wood.

It was sundown when Tigress' legs gave out. She fell to the ground, spasms running through her nerves. "We can-" she grit her teeth "-stop here. For tonight."

Everyone was extremely grateful. Mantis fell asleep the instant he was horizontal. Viper curled herself protectively around him, then drifted off herself. Tigress managed to turn over on her stomach before passing out.

There was silence—a silence where Po knew the Prince was awake and vice versa, yet they said nothing to each other. Po turned on his side, backing the male tiger, and facing the much more likeable one.

"Dragon Warrior?"

He didn't reply. He was too tired for insults.

"Panda?"

He wasn't going to reply. Any and all banter could wait until morning.

"_Po._"

…that was the first time Naibu had ever said his name. Po groaned. "What?"

"Do you think…" the tiger paused. "Do you think we'll perish in these forests?"

"No. We know tons of villages along the main path, and some even on the outskirts. We'll survive. Go to sleep, Your Highness."

Naibu chuckled. "Out here, I suppose I'm nobody's prince…" his voice cracked. "Please, while we're out here, call me Naibu. Just Naibu. Nothing more."

"Sure." Po yawned widely. "No prob."

He was vaguely aware of the prince thanking him, and then he was plagued by unconsciousness.

* * *

><p><strong>Day 1 of Running<strong>

**A report by Prince Naibu**

Morning was unpleasant by all means. At some point during the night, Po had snuggled up much too close to Tigress, and paid dearly for it when she woke up. It was a minor setback, but we made up for it quickly.

My legs ached. Master Tigress ran as to the bone, literally unstoppable until her knees gave out from beneath her. I won't go into detail on her stupidity; it's truly indescribable.

The panda should've been the death of her by now. He whines, complains, eats, sleeps, and repeats the cycle. It's driving me near insanity—made even worse that he now haunts my dreams. He talks back then, too, if you can believe it.

Nothing too eventful happened today, other then me finding this parchment I mistakenly stole from a restaurant the other night. In a way, I suppose the Yunnan finding us is my fault…I should've known better then to leave the Palace without disguising myself. The only thing I left was my crown—but please, my eyes are an identifier on their own. Father warned me that they would be my downfall, and Mother and I didn't believe him…

I regret that now. I regret complaining about Master Kikko as well. My sword fighting literally saved my arse yesterday. If we run into anymore Yunnan I suppose it will again. If Master Kikko ever reads this, I want him to know that without him, I would be fried, as the Dragon Warrior would say.

Speaking of fat pandas, he approached me as we travelled today. "Were you serious about what you said? You know, the whole, call you Naibu thing?"

"Yes," I replied firmly. "I'm as much of a prince as you are among the bamboo stalks."

Master Tigress got onto us for being too slow, and we sped up and killed the conversation.

I swear, if that woman weren't attractive, a man would want her head on a platter.

* * *

><p>Po looked over the Prince's shoulder. "What are you always writing down?"<p>

"Everything," he responded flatly. Hastily, he shoved the piece of paper and quill in the inside of his tunic and pants. "Stop talking. Master Tigress will get mad at us again.

"No she won't. She only get's mad if you're being snobby."

"Snobby?"

Po nodded, "Yeah. Like, insulting us and expecting us to kiss your feet. It's snobby."

Naibu frowned. "I thought it was regal…"

Po raised his eyebrows. "You were way off. Like, you couldn't be any off-er." He took a few steps in silence. "Who told you that?"

"Told me what?"

"That being a jerk was regal?"

"My father," Naibu replied without hesitation. "And don't you dare go badmouthing him. He saved my life on more then one occasion."

"How? What happened?"

Naibu sighed, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Talking makes you feel better."

"That may work for you, panda, but things are different for me."

"How come?"

"Because. Stop bothering me."

"I'm not bothering you, I'm just asking questions."

"Bothersome questions."

Po snorted but stayed silent. Mantis turned from his perch on Tigress' shoulder. "We'll be nearing Jenli soon," he told them.

"I got in a fight," Naibu said suddenly. He kept his eyes down, ignoring the confused expressions on everyone else's face. "Before I was taught by Master Kikko. I was trying to show off for a governor's daughter. Another man, at least twenty years my senior challenged me to a fight. He was drunk—and drunks are irrational, unpredictable. I thought I could take him…" Naibu sighed. "He beat me bloody. I was within an inch of my life…when my father came into the bar, stepped forward, and knocked the other man down with one punch. He picked me up and swore to tan my hide when I could take it." Naibu's voice cracked. "I was furious. I thought he had ruined my image…I hated him."

Tigress stared intensely at the other tiger, while Po looked aghast. "Jeez. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you…"

"It's fine," Naibu looked away from the panda, "let's just keep moving."

The prince didn't say a word for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p><strong>Day 3 of Running<strong>

**A report by Naibu**

This is reaching the point of ridiculousness. I can't look at Po without feeling embarrassed—I can't seem to forget my ramblings from yesterday. I told him of my spout with Father…how I nearly got myself killed. It was humiliating. The Dragon Warrior was strangely sympathetic, but Master Tigress looked as cold and heartless as ever. I don't understand why I find her so alluring, when I know fully well that she loathes me.

I didn't look at Po the entirety of the day. The only person I could converse with was Master Viper, bless her soul. She's so kind and sweet…without her I'm sure I would've gone mad.

She didn't bring up my past. I was grateful. I don't know what came over me to make me want to discuss it with the Dragon Warrior…is it strange to say he's an understand sort of person? He doesn't judge. He doesn't shun. He gives his ever just opinion of things after listening.

I do hate him, if that needs clarification. I'm just running out of reasons as to _why_.

* * *

><p>As the five tired travelers stumbled through the gates of Jenli, Po placed a paw on Naibu's shoulder. "Listen," he said sternly, "I'm real sorry about…everything. I was kind of a jerk, back at the Palace, and you deserve an apology…"<p>

"No." Naibu met Po dead in the eyes. "I should apologize to you. All you wanted to do was me friendly, and I decdided not to like you for the same reason that nearly got me killed. A girl."

"…wh-what?"

"A girl," Naibu repeated. "I wanted a girl, and I thought she belonged to you. Now I know she belongs to no one. I was wrong to be so…snobby towards you, Dragon Warrior."

Po crossed his arms. "You like Tigress?" he asked, a bit incredulous.

Naibu acquired a soft blush. "She's an interesting character, if not entirely independent. I figured you were the most likely to have her…and suppose I got jealous of you."

"You? Got jealous of me?" Po smacked his knee and laughed. "That's a riot!"

"Don't push your luck, Dragon Warrior," Naibu said tightly, as Po continued to giggle.

"Okay…okay, sorry. That's just…ah, nevermind." The panda smiled. "I say we start over." He stuck out his paw. "The name's Po. Pleased to be your friend."

Naibu didn't hesitate to grab the panda's elbow and shake firmly. "Naibu, and the pleasure is all mine."

"If you two are done," Mantis said from a few meters in front of them, "we'd like to find an inn here?"

"Right, sure!" Po dropped Naibu's paw. "I guess, here, you're not royalty. You'll be harder to find under a different name. Maybe a new look too."

"Nai," Naibu said instantly, "For what I'm not: a prince."

Po nodded. "Nai it is! What do you say we forget about Prince Naibu and the Dragon Warrior for a while?"

"And be whom in their place?"

"Friends," the panda replied without missing a beat.

Naibu didn't even have to think about it. "I'd like that," he said, and they shook on it.

* * *

><p><strong>I felt like I was writing PoOC slash at some points. Did you feel the same?**


	20. Chapter 20

**Love is Patient, Love is Kind**

**Summary: ...coincidentally, it's also as deep as the pits of hell. Shen never wanted to fall in—but once love has you in its grasp, climbing out isn't as easy as you might think.**

**A/N: Well aren't y'all just the most rosiest sunshine reviews ever! I wasn't expecting anyone to like last chapter, especially with the background Naibu/Po...thing I did by accident. Honestly, I want it to turn out *classified information* but Naibu is just so _ambiguous _it makes decided all the more difficult.**

**Anyway, this one-shot's been sitting on my flashdrive for a couple weeks now, so I thought 'why the hell not?' touched it up and decided to post it. It's slightly AU for the end of the second movie...but telling you now would ruin it, so I'll just let you read it ^^ ****Yes, I'm jumping on the Shen/Tigress bandwagon. It was right there in the movie, I swear! He was totally old-man-_macking _on Tigress at the harbor. It was _disgusting_.**

**But then again, it also makes for a great angsty one-sided love story so I'm okay with it. Also, Shen is hilarious IMHO. And flustered Shen is side splitting.**

**one last thing: to all my Avatarded fans out there, I'm doing the Tokka 100! you can read it here: www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net/u/3165013/Call_Me_Omega **

**On to the story!**

**I REGRET NOTHING**

* * *

><p>Shen felt weak—<em>desperate <em>and weak, like a scrawny soldier capture before the stronger enemy, bound in chains and certainly unable to break loose. He was weak, in a sense. Weak at the knees, that is.

Rather then a grotesque way to kill her, or a gory way of crushing her spirit, his mind conjured nothing but blankness when he looked at her. His eyes roamed freely, of their own accord, and sure if she'd been watching him he would've been torn to shreds long ago.

With difficulty, he tore his eyes off of her _curvy, skinny _body and onto more productive things—like a brick wall her could ram his head into over and over.

"Lord Shen," the wolf holding down her arms asked, "what should we do with the prisoners?"

The peacock couldn't stop himself; temptation guided his eyes back to the delicious curves of her waist. "Chain them," he finally spoke. "Parade them like a flag on the front ship. They'll be both a warning and an example."

The wolf nodded, and only then did the lord realize there were two other behind him, tugging four more of the chained prisoners behind them. He blinked in astonishment—had he really not noticed them?—and turned away promptly, before his gaze could find something else equally delicious and twice as inappropriate to stare at.

As she was forced away, the Distraction as he was fond of calling her now, gave him a chilling glare over her shoulder. "You'll die with your plan, Shen, and _I _will be your personal killer," she hissed. Shen slapped himself; hissing was _not _supposed to sound like music. Evil he might be, but Lord Shen was no masochist.

"Petty words," he replied coolly, with a suave smile. "Perhaps I should make you a throw rug instead…"

He was both appalled and pleased with himself as she recoiled, not quite frightened, but lacking her earlier confidence. Her widened eyes (gems, he thought wistfully) narrowed and if not for the chains at her wrists and the wolf at her side, she would be lunging at his throat.

The Soothsayer, crazy witch, was right behind him, by some miraculous force that she was empowered with. The curve of a knowing smile was on her lips, though he couldn't figure out why. Surely it wasn't because…

…

…

_Of course _it was because.

"That is no way to get a girl to fall in love with you," the old goat said sagely, "perhaps a present, rather then sentencing her and her friends to death?"

Shen bristled. "There's a difference between love and lust," he snapped, sweeping away from the Soothsayer with all the dignity he could muster. Admittedly, it wasn't much, but he played it for all it was worth.

She followed close behind him. "Yes, there is. But while the line is not fine, it is very easy to cross."

"That doesn't even make any sense," Shen informed her. He turned again, striding down a wide corridor. She was still at his heels—still smiling.

All of a sudden…he had the strangest craving for goat stew…

"You can get rid of me," Soothsayer responded his thoughts, "but you cannot get rid of your emotions."

"I can try, can't I?" he mumbled quietly. Unwilling to give in to the words he knew were the truth, Shen stopped and faced her. Thankfully, he could still look down at her—looking upwards would make this situation much more painful then it already was. "I don't think you quite understand. I'm going to be the _king _of the world. Kings have no time to chase after objects of lust."

"Of lust," she smiled broadly at him, "or love? And if that is so, explain why every great king has a queen ruling alongside him?"

Shen blinked at her.

He absolutely _loathed _that old goat—especially when she was right.

Not that he was about to give her the satisfaction of knowing she was spot on. That was nothing like a lord at all. If she wanted to be superior, she was going to have to work for it.

"This discussion will either die before you, or be the cause of your death. Which do you prefer?" he inquired mildly, effectively shutting up the old lady long enough for him to regain his bearings.

"You won't kill me," she said after some thought. The peacock tensed at her confidence-just _why _was she so sure?

However, rather then show his perfect annoyance, Shen remained the picture of calm. "You don't know that."

"Yes I do. You may find the truth hard to agree with but that doesn't mean you will obliterate it."

Shen glanced down briefly, wondering if his thoughts were written on his robes. He straightened stiffly, unable to meet the Soothsayer's eyes. _Bloody goat, _he thought weakly. "I will obliterate anything that stands in my way."

The Soothsayer abruptly whipped out her staff and smacked him on the head with it. Had he been expecting the action, he probably would've ducked, but it had been so unbelievably random he hadn't the chance What kind of sane person smacked another out of nowhere? Cradling his cranium sweetly in his wings, Shen mustered up all the anger he could and glared at the goat. "Have you lost your mind?"

"You are being foolish, Shen!" the Soothsayer replied, quite literally seething. "This is your gateway—your one chance to change all of this! You have a reason to run everything around now; a goal. Stop being a child and go for it!"

Still patting the crown of his head, Shen snapped; "Go for what? Do you think me admitting to being mortal will make her not loathe me with every fiber of her being?" Ignoring the murderous look the Soothsayer was giving him, Shen grabbed her staff so she couldn't make use of it again. "I _still _have no reason to change!"

"Here's an idea," the goat said sarcastically, "try letting her go!"

"But then I won't have her anymore!"

There, Shen wanted to spit, she had her truth, her honesty hour. She should be happy now. Well, actually, she should be dead now, but that was beside the point.

"Love is patient," she said quietly. "If what you feel for her is true, sooner or later you would see her again."

It took all of Shen's strength not to scream in her face. "I am _not _patient," he said instead, voice low.

"Waiting thirty years to take over a city that's not longer yours isn't patience?" she shot back accusingly.

There she went again, with her damn rightness and whatnot. The peacock turned an inhuman shade of red; as if he were on the verge of exploding. "Nor am I kind."

"I beg to differ," the Soothsayer said instantly. Of course she begged to differ; he would've been shocked if she actually went along with what he said for once. "You haven't killed me. That is kind—though of the smallest degree."

Shen couldn't be sure; did she just insult him…while complimenting him? He shook his head with disgust. "You…you…" Damn it, he was spluttering. She definitely knew she was right now. That irritating smile returned in all its glory.

"I am _not _in love!" he yelled, stomping his foot with each syllable. In hindsight, he probably resembled a short-tempered child—right down to the red splotches on his face. "I refuse to accept, or believe it!"

"You don't have to! Love has a habit of catching its victims by surprise."

Shen was silent for over a minute, in which the Soothsayer looked horridly uncomfortable. Finally, a small smile broke out on his lips.

"By surprise, you say?" he said faintly. "That's not a bad idea…"

And so hatched a diabolical plan he was proud to have thought of. He would catch the panda by surprise. Then he could kill him, the tiger—erm, Distraction, the others, and be done with this bloody mess without it blowing out of proportion. Or, if worst came to worst, he would die and this whole 'love whatever' could die as well.

"Whatever you're thinking," the female goat cut into his thoughts, "it won't work."

Shen smiled ominously; "But that, my dear old bat, is where you're wrong. _Dead _wrong, if I do say so myself."

It was a win-win situation.

If she hadn't looked so goddamn _beautiful _at the harbor. Maybe, if she'd looked just a bit more haggard, he wouldn't have let her go. But, there was always the chance of seeing her again. Even if her claws would be held at his throat and her eyes would be attempting to melt him- it would still be her.

Wolf Boss turned to the peacock, mouth agape. "Sir...did you just...?"

Shen was instantly pulled into reality. "So..." he bristled, "So what if I _did_?"

His oldest friend fixed him with a perplexed look. "Sir...I think you're whipped..."

Feeling as if his face were coming to a boil, Shen waved his wings at the wolf. "Shut up! Just go kill the panda!"

With a wink the canine dashed away, battle cry loud and piercing. Shen scowled in his direction (cocky bastard) and thought about what he just did. It occurred to him then that the Soothsayer was _finally _wrong; he would be defeated by a warrior of black and _ orange. _Which just proved that the term 'Love is kind' was complete and utter bullshit.

Maybe, if the circumstances were different and _his _life wasn't on the line, Shen would feel happy about that.


	21. Chapter 21

**Lovely**

**Summary**: Crane and Mei Ling write a story together. That can't be hard, right? AU Humanized, 1920s

**A/N: ****Drama saphhire requested a Crane x Mei Ling drabble. I read Parlor Tricks by Lyralocke (may she rest in peace) and fell in love with the Roaring 20s. Hilarity ensued. **

**In case you get confused:**

**Crane Talking**

_**Typed Header**_

Mei Ling Talking

_Typed Words_

**Here's to you, Drama saphhire. *raises glass***

* * *

><p><em><strong>A Retelling<strong>_

_By Huang Jien_

_It was gray and rainy that night. I was just about to turn in early from a long day of being me when the phone rang—_

Crane, Baby, what are you doing?

**Mei Ling! Uh, hey Doll! I thought you were coming in an hour…**

I was already in the neighborhood, wrapping up the Peng Case. Uh, what were you doing?

**Me? I was doing something? I hadn't noticed!**

You're scaring me now, Crane.

**Oh. Heh, sorry Doll. How 'bout I move this incredibly useless papers that you shouldn't look at and—hey! Mei Ling! Give those back!**

'It was a gray and rainy night…when I picked up the phone I heard a scream; a woman's scream. She was begging for my help…Said her name was Wu Sho…when I met her a week later, an angel was standing next to her…' Babe, is this a retelling of how you met me?

**No! Of course not! You should stop reading now!**

You thought my eyes were 'pools of the finest gold'? Aw shucks, I'm blushing.

**Mei Ling, please give those back!**

And my lips were 'gently calling your name in a soft, delicate voice'. Sheesh, you were obsessed with my face, Feathers.

**_Doll _you _really _need to stop reading!**

Aw, love at first sight! That's so sweet Crane!

**I'm going to have to drink this memory away…**

Hey, this doesn't have an ending. Want me to help you?

**That'd be the bee's knees, Doll. Can you help me from the next town over?**

Don't be like that! If it makes you feel better, we can write this together. So it's not focused on my…how'd you put it? 'Ducky feminine assets'…yeesh, you didn't see many girls before me, did you?

**I'm getting the hooch.**

I'm just pulling your leg! I'll pretend I never read any of it, but I _do_ want to tell this story. It's a nice memory.

…**Promise not to tease me anymore?**

Does the look in my sunset colored eyes say differently?

_**Mei Ling!**_

Okay, okay, I'm done. I promise not to tease you anymore; now stop blushing. Your face'll catch fire.

**I'm ignoring that. Pull up a chair—oh, um, or you c-could sit in my, er, lap…that's a swell idea too…**

We're more comfortable this way. Scoot the typewriter over; I've got an idea for the intro that's the cat's pajamas!

_**Lovely**_

_By Huang Jien and Wu Mei Ling_

_It didn't start out a love story. In fact, it didn't start out as a story at all. It was a problem; an issue, a bump in the road. And that little problem had a name: Wu Mei Ling._

_It started as an average day, cloudy as Chicago ever was and bustling with people. Agent Huang Jien, better known as Crane, had been trying to solve a case. He was looking for a missing boy name Ruo, but all the clues had lead to dead ends. Tired and disappointed, the detective put his head down on his desk and sighed._

_He surely would've fallen asleep when the phone on his desk rang, jolting him awake. He picked up and tried to be polite as possible. "This is the Furious Aces Detective Agency; you've got Agent Crane—"_

"_This is the Aces? Oh thank god, thank god," a frantic voice on the other end of the line said. "Listen close Agent Crane, I don't have a lot of time."_

_Crane leaned forward on the edge of his seat, desperately looking for a pad and pencil. "Then you'd better talk fast," he said as he found what he was looking for at last._

"_My name is Wu Nikka," the woman on the other end of the line said, "and I'm being hunted. Actually, my whole family is being hunted. There's really no chance we'll live but I've got a kid sister, she's only eighteen and she's still got a life ahead of her…" there was the unmistakable sound of a gunshot and a shrill scream. Nikka's voice came though, even more frantic then before. "I'll give you all the dough I've got, just take care of her, alright? Her name's Mei Ling and she's a spiffy little dame, I swear, she doesn't need much, just a home—if you could swing by my house and pick her up that'd be swell, real swell…" She rattled off the address. Just as she was saying thank you, there was another gunshot and then the line went dead._

_Crane knew right then that he'd just heard someone get shot. _

_He called the rest of his team right away._

_As the last agent of the Furious Aces force filed into the office building, Crane had to take a long sip of coffee to calm himself. His fellow agents were quiet and sullen as mice as they awaited his explanation._

"_We've got a case," he said simply, throwing the notepad on the table where everyone was sitting at. "And it ain't gonna be easy."_

_His closest friends all looked at each other uneasily. The two woman, one with curly brown hair and nearly yellow eyes, the other straight black and warm blue eyes, wearing almost identical coats looked sullen. Tigress was always sullen, it was her thing, but right then it was a sullen that was deep—even for her. Viper tucked her black hair behind her ear and shakily reached for the notepad._

_Next to her, the first of the fellas, was a short man with fiery red eyes and a soft green suit and fedora hadn't quite reached sullen, but was bordering serious. Mantis watched as Viper flipped through the notes and handed the paper to Tigress. The solemn woman read quickly and passed it off to a man with a boyish face next to her. He had icy blue eyes and a snow white smile that couldn't be seen as he read Crane's notes. When he finished, he stared right down at his gray pinstriped suit and fumbled with his blue tie._

_Mantis received the notepad last, and his eyes widened as he read. He looked up at Crane with wide eyes. "Oh jeez. Does the Chief know about this?"_

"_Not yet," said Crane with a shake of his head. "You, me, and the others are the only one's that know. Wu Nikka and whoever else was with her at the time has bumped off. Kicked the bucket. They're gone, and so are most of our leads."_

"_We've still got what you wrote," Viper said sagely. "It's not much though…"_

"_I wrote every word she said." Crane tucked his fists in his pockets. "The only thing we can do now is go to that address and find the dame."_

"_What?" Tigress stood, frowning deeply. She was nearly a head shorter then Crane, yet she towered over him. "You actually want to go?"_

"_Well of course," Crane said weakly, backing away from Tigress' anger. "I mean, the dame's probably in danger too. We've got to go get her."_

_Monkey shrugged. "The place ain't too far from here. On the west side…it'll take half an hour, tops."_

"_That's hotsy-totsy," Tigress said venomously, "but we're not going. For all we know, this is a ploy to get us killed. We know plenty of fellas that want our heads." She placed a fist on her hip. "Yeah we're cops, but that doesn't make us invincible."_

_Crane cringed; she had a point. A good one, actually. "But what if Nikka was telling the truth? We're gonna leave a kid to get hunted by the same guys that killed her family?"_

_Viper raised her hands to settle the argument Tigress was about to start. "You both have swell points. How's about we take a vote. Who wants to go?"_

_Crane raised a shaky hand, as did Monkey, Mantis, and Viper herself. Tigress gasped, then scowled. "No skin off my nose if you get your butts busted."_

_Just then, Chief walked in. He fixed his wire glassed upon his nose and tilted his fedora at the agents. "Morning, all of you. Something wrong?"_

"_Yeah Chief," Tigress stated before she could be stopped. "These guys are all wet." She told Chief the story Crane had told everyone else. When she finished, Chief fixed his cold blue eyes on Crane and looked about ready to bump him off._

"_You're outta your mind if you think I'll let you walk straight into a trap like that."_

"_But sir! We took a vote! We all think we should go!" Crane protested, then shrank back against Chief's glare. The short old man side, rubbed his head, and relented._

"_Lucky for you this is a democracy, not a dictatorship." He pointed at Crane, Viper, and Mantis; "You three are gonna go check this out. I'm taking these two," he gestured to Monkey and Tigress, "to the south side. It's a tricky situation, but there's word that Boss Chan and his boys are plotting to blow up a couple drums and a distillery." He waved his hand as if it were a casual matter. "We all leave in five."_

_Chief's word was written in stone. Crane glanced haphazardly at Mantis and Viper; they were in for a long ride._

"_Hey, can I borrow your handgun?"_

_Mantis lifted his jacket, revealing a belt nearly full of guns. "Choose one, doll," he winked at Viper. She kicked him in the shin as she pulled a gun, shoved that in her purse, then turned to the boys. _

"_What're we waiting for?" she asked sweetly as she walked by them. Mantis' tongue nearly lolled out of his mouth as he eagerly followed the girl, with Crane laughing as he pulled up the rear._

_The drive wasn't long, and Mantis' jalopy pulled through. They parked at the end of a dusty street and the green-clad man patted the car's hood. "Attagirl, Jane," he said lovingly._

_Viper poked fun at him for naming his car, and the two quickly ensued in banter. It was entertaining to listen to, and calmed Crane's nerves to hear something so normal._

"_What's the number again?"_

"_1508." Crane squinted into the distance. "Say, isn't it that one right there?"_

_Mantis followed his finger. "With the black cars lined in front of it? Pos-i-lute-ly."_

_Viper sighed. "We can never get things easy, can we?" she muttered as she filled her gun with bullets. "Let's go fellas."_

_By the time they reached the porch of the old, rundown house, Mantis and Viper had devised a swell plan. After retrieving an empty hooch bottle from his car, he loosened his tie, unbuttoned his jacket, and instructed Viper to make herself look messy as well. They staggered to the door together, arms all over one other, laughing and hiccupping and taking 'swigs' from the empty bottle._

_Crane snuck around amongst the bushes as the did so. He heard the two talking with a guard, then Viper squealing, followed by a gunshot and the safe word 'Attagirl!'. Crane took a deep breath and emerged from his cover and followed Viper and Mantis into the house._

_There was a small scuffle by the door. Someone tried to jump Mantis, and his reacted instantly by flipping them over his back and into the nearest wall. "Mei Ling?" Crane called, and heard a small cry in response. "Upstairs," he said to his partners, and they filed up the staircase in an orderly line._

_Upstairs, they heard the sound of a fight. A man burst through a wooden door and gaped at the agents. A petite woman wielding a plank followed after him, pausing only when she saw the three agents. "Who are you?" she asked warily, momentarily taking her eyes off the man._

"_Agents Viper, Crane, and Mantis," Viper replied coolly. She pointed her handgun at the man on the ground. "You'd better stay there, Hands; lay another finger on her and this gun will be the last thing you ever see."_

_The man whimpered and held up his hands._

_Crane walked forward to the girl. She looked tired, but behind the haggardness he guessed she was pretty. "Are you Wu Mei Ling?"_

"_Who wants to know?"_

"_You know anyone named Nikka?" Crane continued, ignoring her abrasiveness. The girl nodded hesitantly. "I hate to tell this to you, but she's dead."_

_Mei Ling blinked. "What?"_

_Crane relayed the story of the phone call. Mei Ling dropped her weapon. "Really? She's gone? Just like that?" Without waiting for a reply, she jabbed a finger into Crane's chest. "Did she tell you who was shooting? You hear anything that could give you a clue?"_

"_No," Crane said softly. "Sorry, doll."_

_Mei Ling deflated. "Don't be. S'not your fault." She hardened instantly. "So are you taking me from this place or what? These men have been keeping me hostage for nearly a week."_

"_Yeah," Mantis said as he lifted a handcuffed man to his feet. "We're taking you home."_

"_Good," Mei Ling brushed past him, already down the stairs. Crane exchanged a look with his partners, shrugged, and followed her._

Hey! You can't end it like that! Where's the romance? Where's the undying love?

**It's implied! **

No, the only thing you _implied _that I was a rude bearcat. Not a hint of love whatsoever.

**Why don't you write the ending then, Doll?**

I will. Get your unromantic hands off that typewriter.

_Agent Crane kept glancing at the girl sitting next to him. She hand hair past her shoulders, something he hadn't seen in a while. Her features were soft, making the angry look she was trying for seem out of place. "Do you have any other family?" he asked, trying to start a conversation to make up for the silence._

_Mei Ling looked him over. "Yeah," she said at last. "A cousin. She lives in New Orleans."_

"_That's far."_

"_The farther I get from this place, the better."_

_Crane guessed she wanted to stop talking, but he couldn't let up. "Who were those guys holding you hostage?"_

"_Dewdroppers," Mei Ling spat. "Boss Fennu hired them to make me a prisoner in my own home."_

"_What's his beef?"_

"_My sisters." Mei Ling raised her eyebrow. "Surprised you've never heard of them. Real big troublemakers, those three. They bumped off someone important to him, he got mad and decided to retaliate." She sighed heavily. "I guess he got carried away and killed them instead of me…"_

_Crane patted her shoulder. "Sorry," he said again. She brushed his hand away._

"_Didn't your mother ever tell you that sorry fixes nothing?" she asked, though not rudely. "Anyhow, I just need a place to stay until I get to New Orleans. You wanna help me with that?"_

_Crane closed his eyes. By the sound of it, Viper and Mantis were arguing with each other over something and didn't hear the request. He thought of Chief…boy, Chief wouldn't like this. Neither would Tigress…but this girl had some potential. She could help them while she stayed, so she wouldn't be a freeloader…_

"_Aw applesauce," Crane muttered. He turned to Mei Ling and smiled. "Course I'll help. In fact, nobody would mind if you stayed at the office, as long as you put yourself to good use."_

"_Easy," Mei Ling said mildly. "We got ourselves a deal then?"_

"_You bet. Put her there, Miss Mei Ling." Crane shook her hand heartily. Their touch linger second longer then it should've, then they hastily let go. _

"_I never learned you name, by the way."_

"_Huang Jien. But most call me Crane. Agent Crane."_

_Mei Ling scrunched up her face. "Agent Feathers it is. It's been nice doing business with you." Then she winked at his dumbfounded expression and closed her eyes to enjoy the rest of the ride._

_It was a lovely day, after all._

**Ugh. I remember that.**

You should, Feathers. The name fits you perfectly. Like now; when you get all riled up you kind of squawk, like a bird, and your neck pulses like your feathers are standing on end.

**I do-_do _not! **

That was a particularly squawky squawk.

**You're so mean to me, Doll.**

I'd say sorry, but I'm not. Want me to make it up to you?

**How are you gonna pull that off- **_**mmph. **_

Is that good enough?

**Oh…uh…gee…I dunno…you might have to try again…**

Heehee, very funny. You know…we should do this more often.

**Kiss?**

No, we do that a lot. I meant write stories together. It's fun remembering all this stuff with you.

**You think so? Shucks, I feel the same way. But you know what I like doing with you even more…?**

I can take a guess.

**Cash or check?**

Actually, this bank's closed. We have case to be working on. Boss Chan is planning on getting rid of another swinging distillery.

…**do you really care right now?**

Not particularly. Come here ya big lollygagger.

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><p><strong>AN PT 2: That was really fun! Teeehee Crane/Mei Ling banter is so cute... I used A LOT of 1920s slang in this, which is probably why I'll be talking like that for the rest of the week. I used this nifty website to get all my info (http:/ home(dot)earthlink(dot)net/~). Hopefully I'll see you guys with more of the Furious Aces and their detective agency. Well, I gotta mooch. See ya!**

**bonus points if you use 20s slang in your review :P**


	22. NEW YEAR NEW STUFF

**Yeah, it's not a complete chapter (sigh) because I have a knack for pissing off my mom. Now I can't use her laptop- which has ALL my stories on it, including the requests I'm working on. _So_ sorry.**

**However, since I'm not completely banned from the internet, I thought I'd just post an A/N wishing everyone a happy New Year. 2011, to put it simply, _sucked _and even when it was okay it was still pretty bad. Here's to hoping 2012 is better :D**

**...hm...in hindsight, I think this A/N is boring. So I'll make it up to you by doing something I've never done before.**

**I'm going to give you summaries about the new stories I'm writing! **

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><p><strong>Unwanted: A continuation of KristentheKittyKat's amazing story! She lost inspiration and passed it along to me, so I'll have that up an running by January (hopefully)!<strong>

**Trust Me Not: **"She is not honorable, nor does she care. She kills with the swiftness of a predator and the stealthiness of a mouse. She is called Cold-Blood for a reason." A higly trained assassin is on the loose. It's up to the Dragon Warrior and Furious Five to find out who her next target is and stop her before it's too late.

_Characters_**: **Everyone under the sun; Furious Five, Po, Shifu, (my version of) the Wu Sisters, OC, Mysterious-Villain

** I Beg to Differ**: Having an old friend stay at the Palace can't go wrong...right? Young Tigress is starting to feel differently as she unfolds the masters' memories and deepest secrets- and is surprised to discover a familiar red panda takes up most of them.

_ Characters_: Young!Tigress, Young!Monkey, Young!Viper, Younger!Shifu, Oogway, First generation!Furious Five, OC Villain and Minions

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><p><strong>As you can see, 2012's gonna be an eventful year. I'm not scrapping my other stories, mind you. Winged Bravery has one last chapter, the Nobody is very close to being done, Drabble Edition will stop being updated as much, but there will still be updates.<strong>

**Basically, in a nutshell, I'm going to be very busy next year. And this doesn't even mention all the one-shots I have written, just waiting to be published. **

**Annnnywho, this is last you'll be hearing of me this year. So Happy New Year everyone!**

**-Izzy Smiling (Once known as Awesome-sauce12)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Her Best Move**

**Summary: Po was a fruit pie, according to Mantis. And Mantis was a walking target, according to Viper.**

**A/N: Not much to say, other then this was written to explore the romantic relationship between Mantis and Viper. I'm used to them having a best friends/bro-sis deal. Need some practice in the lovey-dovey department.**

***Note: Po isn't supposed to make sense in this story. **

***Note 2: The author is aware that the ending is very weak. She'd rather not talk about it.**

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><p>"You, my friend, are a few pears short of a fruit pie."<p>

Po's anguished expression twisted into an annoyed one as he fixed his "friend" with a look. He looked away quickly, for Viper had things covered; the insect yelped and was clutching his small head a few moments later. The panda tightened his grip on his knees and began rocking to and fro like he'd been doing moments before.

The two members of the Furious Five, green as could be, glanced at each other. Both obviously had no idea how to comfort such a _crazy _notion the panda was getting worked up over, but they had to try, didn't they?

"I say," Mantis offered after an awkward silence, "you forget this craziness and hit the pubs with me and Monkey tonight. There's a new one that opened on the other side of the village, heard the owner's daughter is real easy-"

"Ugh!" Viper lashed out again, catching the curve of Mantis' forehead. He yelped once more and rubbed the injured area tenderly. "He doesn't need alcohol _or_ concubines, Mantis," she scolded. Giving her sweetest smile to Po she said, "He needs to be reassured."

"We've tried that," Mantis muttered. "Why do you think I've been here getting whipped by you for an hour?"

Viper cringed and thankfully Po didn't notice. It really had been an hour since the Dragon Warrior confided in them- and not long after crumpled into a twitching, jittery shell of himself. Rocking back and forth while grabbing his knees for dear life; eyes pinpoints that darted around everywhere. Honestly, the kid would scare himself to death one day.

Viper pondered for a level response to that. "You enjoy getting whipped, so I don't see the problem," she finally said, and to her great satisfaction Mantis blanched. She glanced at Po; maybe her crack had gotten a smile out of him?

"They're _coming, _Viper!" Po jammed his thumb into his mouth.

She sighed. He was cracked, that's for sure...

She gave a sideways glance at Mantis. He seemed to be racking his brain, for a comeback no doubt. He couldn't just take a blow to his pride, no, he had to take someone else down with him. She found it to be endearing...when it was happening to someone else.

"At least I have legs," he said quite lamely. As if just realizing the awfulness of the insult he spat on the ground and rubbed his pincers together. "Okay," he said in a demanding, subject-changing voice, "Po, buddy, I know what you need. It's not sake, for now anyway- _ow, gods Viper_- and it's not 'reassurance'." The bug took two mighty hops until he was perched on Po's nose. "_You_ need a good slap to the old noggin."

And he proceeded to do just that.

Ten minutes later, when Viper still couldn't revive the panda, Mantis finally admitted that maybe his 'slap' had been more of a 'roundhouse kick'. "My heart was in the right place though," he argued. "And it's the thought that counts. Insert another old saying to help my case here."

"Mantis!" Viper frowned deeply. "I can't believe you. The one time Po comes to _us_ for help _you_ knock him out!"

"Hey, I could've done worse! Like _kill _him!"

They both fell silent, rushing at the same moment to check for the panda's pulse. They quickly realized that they lacked fingers, so Mantis resorted to nudging him, and Po mumbled, "Spotted pickles," and they decided to assume that meant he was okay.

"See? Didn't kill him!" Excited, the bug looked up at his friend. "Anywho, can I borrow your makeup? We've got take this advantage and draw all over Po's face." He didn't need to elaborate on _what _he wanted to draw, and just thinking about it was enough to make Viper feel dirty. She sighed again, and when Mantis asked, "You want to do it too, don't you?" she lost it and tackled him.

He wasn't expecting it, which pulled a girly squeal from his lungs as the crashed into a wall. Viper coiled herself around him, squeezing slightly and shaking him a bit. "Po just told us he thinks he's being _hunted _by the godsdamn _Wu Sisters _and all you can think is drawing on his face with my makeup while he's unconscious?"

Mantis' gaze fell downward. "Well...jeez...when you put it like that..."

Was that a guilty look in his eye?

"...I guess I should use something more permanent then makeup, huh?"

"THAT'S IT!"

There was no good explanation of what happened next, but in a short summary of events, a very heated and very short-lived fight broke out between the two, where they were both trying to yell louder then the other and not get hit in the face. Their previous position, Mantis being strangled, Viper shaking him about, resumed and desperate for air Mantis pulled out what he called 'the Big Guns'.

"Vi-_Viper_," he choked as she glared at him, "I only see this now th-that you're _choking me to death..." _He cut off there, leaving her waiting in suspense...then suddenly broke out of her grasp, landed on her head, and peered into her eyes. "Does Shifu know you've got a tattoo _there_?" he gave her a suggestive smile.

She gurgled and swiped at him, missing completely while he strolled off with a broad grin. "And another thing," he turned and winked. "_Some guys _find that to be seriously attractive."

The serpent blinked; "Some guys?" she muttered wistfully.

"I'm not naming names." Mantis shrugged. "But I'll give you a hint-"

And before that prized hint could be uttered, the panda (who would be blamed for this later) jumped to his feet, wide eyed, and kicked Viper with all his might. She didn't see it coming; how could she, Po had been all but dead only moments before? The blow it her full on, knocking her into Mantis with a dazed view of Po running out of the room, cackling like maniac.

"Gonna...kill that...idiot..." she muttered, blinking spots from her vision and trying not to let go of her consciousness.

"Hey!" Mantis called from beneath her. "I've always wanted a tattoo there!"

And that was the only argument Viper needed to convince that the sweet, gentle darkness of unconsciousness would be her best move.


	24. Chapter 24

**It _Didn't _Happen.**

**Summary: In which an arrow gets "friendly" with Po.**

**A/N:**

**Me: It's been how long since a chapter was updated?**

**Me: 2 months**

**Me: _Shit._**

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><p>There's a pregnant pause as the two exhausted warriors come stumbling into the kitchen. The first scowls darkly and shuffles aside so his comrade can enter as well. She looks considerably less angry then he does, and maybe the personality switch is what throws everyone off.<p>

Tigress smiles rather awkwardly and gives a short wave. "Hello."

Crane is staring curiously over his rice pudding. "Um…hey…"

"You're back," Mantis adds. "And I have to admit, I kind of missed you."

Viper sticks out her tongue and teases, "But only kind of."

And instead of replying with a jab of his own, Po huffs and pouts like an upset child. And as if _that _isn't strange enough, Tigress coughs deeply into her fist—her own way of hiding a laugh.

Crane blinks.

Mantis seems a bit shocked too. "So…anything cool happen? You guys were gone for three days—I bet you seriously gave those bandits a good butt-whooping."

It's the perfect chance for Po to embark on an overly detailed story about the encounter, but he huffs again and Tigress coughs even louder. She recovers and is doing an awful job at hiding a smirk. "Oh, yes, butts were whooped," she tells Mantis ambiguously.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Po grumbles something unintelligible and it seems to delight Tigress. With a happy—_happy?—_skip in her step, she strides forward to take a seat and a helping of rice pudding. Without answering the confused insect, or any of the befuddled masters, she turns slightly. "Come join us," she says to Po and there's _definitely _a teasing tone in her voice.

Viper and Crane share a look as if to say, _what happened on their mission exactly?_

Po fixes the feline with a steady glare that she ignores. He shuffles forward with a strange gait and stands silently before the chair, blinking at it.

"Well?" Tigress asks through a bite of pudding.

The panda speaks for the first time; voice unsure and somewhat pained. "I'll, uh, just stand. Cuz…well, you know, standing's good for you or something…"

Mantis obviously doesn't see the desperate expression on Po's face. "No way dude, you've been walking for hours. Sitting won't hurt you."

"Oh yes it will," Tigress smiles into her bowl. Po flushes a sudden shade of red and his hand jerks out suddenly—in the same instant, Tigress faceplants into her meal and the panda shies away from the back of her head with a false innocence.

Crane is _positive _there's something going on—and he wants to get to the bottom of it. Whatever the mysterious thing is, it has Tigress in such a good mood she lifts her face from the pudding and it's lit up by a _smile _and she _chuckles _while wiping the substance away. Mantis seems a bit terrified by this, and to be honest, it scares Crane too. "Soooo," the avian says slowly, "_who _got whooped on your mission? I bet it'd be a great story over some rice pudding…"

Po yelps "no" and Tigress nods eagerly, then falls into a hacking fit into her fist while the panda stands with a paled expression.

Then the room falls silent while waiting for Po to say something.

He opens his mouth, closes it, furrows his brow, and finally utters, "I got shot in the butt, okay?" through clenched teeth.

And as soon as the words are out in the open, he wishes he could take them back.

Tigress forgets trying to hide her laughter and bursts into timely guffaws. Viper turns a bit red in the face, Crane's jaw unhinges, and Mantis falls off the table.

Po groans.

Mantis recovers and hops back on the tabletop, a wide grin splitting his face in half. "I'm _definitely _going to need to hear this."

Crane and Viper nod as if in a trance.

Po blushes and stutters up a storm. Tigress decides to take pity on him by speaking the unspeakable so he doesn't have to. "The bandits had archers with _good aim_," she emphasizes while trying to keep a straight face. "Or dirty minds, depending on how you look at it."

Affronted by her simplicity, Po jumps in (with a slight wince at the movement). "Whoa, wait, that's not the _whole _thing. I had just wiped the ground _with their faces _and Tigress here—" he sends her an annoyed glare—"suddenly calls for 'a tactical retreat' because we're 'horribly outnumbered' or something. So I turn for a second, _a teeny tiny second _to find cover and one of the _lucky _archers landed a shot on me." The panda crosses his arms with a flourish. "And technically, it ricocheted off something else so it wasn't even an actual hit."

"A direct hit or not, _you _were shot in the rear, and _I _told you it was going to happen," Tigress says happily. "Not only are you wrong, but you've got a battle scar to prove it."

Crane blinks. So being right makes up for a face full of pudding?

Granted, Po _did _get shot in the…well, butt.

Slowly, the bird grins.

Po doesn't notice—he's too busy engaging in a (losing) fight with Tigress.

"You said I needed to watch my back—_not _my butt."

"Which is relatively close to the same thing."

"Okay sure, _fine, _but this is my _butt _we're talking about. I'm going to need _specific instructions _to protect it."

Tigress contorts her face. "Ew."

"Oh, real mature, Tigress."

Tigress' retort is cut off by a sound much like a balloon loosing air. The source of said sound happens to be the neighborhood avian master, eyes covered by his hat and cheeks puffed with air as he tries his very best not to laugh.

"Oh, _shut up_," Po grumbles.

Crane pops in response, causing Viper and Mantis to do the same. Soon all three are shaking with laughter, much to the dismay of Po. As he watches them, embarrassed, Tigress watches for his reaction. The panda puckers his lips, turns to her, and deadpans, "I guess they wouldn't want to hear about where the archers got _you_ then, huh?"

The sudden, wide-eyed expression, followed by a deep blush is payback enough.


	25. Chapter 25

**Plan of Attack**

**Summary: She was prepared for anything, yet still so vulnerable to everything. Once, she had them. Now she doesn't. Now, it's Tigress vs. the World. AU.**

**A/N: First draft for a three-shot. I didn't want to just leave it in my folder, and I realized I've been stumped for new drabble chapters anyway, so why not? Enjoy what could've been! (also, excuse my sorry attempts at angst. I do _humor _not _brooding)_**

**_1/3_**

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><p>Shifu had always said expect the unexpected. Tigress had no idea what he meant until now.<p>

Now, when her world was hanging together by threads. Now, as her friends' eyes glow red like blood, as they snarled and lunged with accuracy and viciousness they would never use against a comrade.

They all scare her equally—Tigress, the unshakable—but Po shines in the spotlight. His blows have never hurt so much; his aim never so spot-on. During a bandit fight she'd love it but now?

Now she's not sure if she wants to die, or cry, or both.

The battle is silent. Words will betray her inner turmoil, and the last thing she needs is for Po to learn how torn apart she is. He's grinning as claws she never even knew he had drag through her skin, breaking the flesh and drawing blood. She wants to feel it. Something, anything other then this numbness; this clawing tingle that gnaws her soul away, scrape by scrape.

But more then anything, she wants her Po back.

She hears a crunch as her heel breaks his nose. He stumbles back, jarred, and Monkey quickly takes his place. Teeth bared like a madman, eyes narrowed and red and _dead, _above everything – _have I done this to him_?

Tigress is stuck between staunching the blood from her arm and fending him off. Frantic, she looks one way then the other—just enough time for Monkey to drive his fists into her stomach. The force is enough to make her vomit and sway; just enough time for her other friends – _no, her family_– to descend on her.

Crane has never used his beak, and now Tigress understands why. It's a weapon, one attached to his face, like her claws only _deadlier. _And right now, it's stabbing her shoulders again and again and again…

Numb, Tigress catches Viper mid-bite. Just when her small fangs would sink themselves in her neck, she scoops the serpent up and – _gods, this is wrong, so wrong _– forces her to take the blows of Crane.

Blood mingles together. Tigress cannot tell what is hers and what is theirs.

She doesn't have time to dwell on the sickening fact.

Having stepped on Mantis only minutes before, the bug is irate and deranged and murderous – _he wants to kill me _– Tigress reacts by instinct as she deflects him into Monkey. The momentum of the powerful bug sends them flying into a wall – _a blood stained wall – _and that's when she sees pure black and white fury flying at her.

Tigress has less then a second to play this out. She roars, an actual roar, that shakes the ground and rattles her bones. _Po stop. _Unwavering, the panda – _my best friend –_ swings at her with the dagger, missing only because she kicks his already broken nose again.

Raw pain pours from his lungs. Tigress wishes to throw up—to feel anything other then this. This is not like Bao Gu. As a child, hurting those she loved was an _accident. _

Now, it is a necessity.

They're down, all of them, for the time being, and Tigress takes her chance to escape. As she runs blindly down the Thousand Steps, the echoes of her friends screams nestle themselves into her memory.

From this point on, she must make fighting them off her top priority.

_It's so wrong; I've done everything to protect them, to keep them alive, and now I am killing them._

What she doesn't tell herself is that she had been setting herself up for this all along.


	26. Chapter 26

**Kiss Me Like You Mean It**

**Summary**: Somewhere along the line, she started loving him, and he got a little lost. – Mei Ling/Crane. AU. confident!Crane, hopless-in-love!Mei Ling. Non-compliant to SOFF.

**A/N: **It's been a while, KFP section. I've had this for a while but I didn't want to post it because it's pretty awful, but oh well; this fandom needs some more shameless Crane/Mei Ling fluff, dont'cha think?

* * *

><p>Teaser:<p>

Mei Ling knew for a fact that she didn't know how to raise a kid. Hell, she couldn't even grow a plant. Yet, when Jun came to her with a bundle in her arms, Mei Ling found herself saying yes when she really meant _"oh my gods what if it dies."_

Luckily, she was a fast learner

.

.

.

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_Eighteen & twenty_

"So…how do you like it so far?"

The awkward was palpable; Mei Ling was sure she could cut it with a knife. He smiled a smile that was so uncomfortable yet so sincere, she couldn't help but smile back. He cleared his throat, ready to answer.

"I've only been around for two weeks," he stated, "but I think it's great."

Mei Ling couldn't help herself, she snorted. "That'll change fast. Trust me."

He looked only mildly put off by her statement. His shoulders relaxed and he leaned casually on the wall, eyes staring into hers with an intensity she had never known before. "What makes you think that?" his tone was two parts curious and one part smug. Like he'd last a month here.

"Look at you," she said with a shrug. "You're, what, ninety pounds? The teachers here will chew you up and spit you out." It was her turn to look smug. "You wouldn't last five weeks."

His eyebrows rose. "Is that a bet?"

She shrugged again; "Maybe." She smirked. "If you think you could prove me wrong."

"Please," said he, laughing a low, rich laugh. "I already know you're wrong."

Mei Ling had to admit, this guy had guts. She could respect that. "Mei Ling," she said, nodding her head at him. As if to say _you're okay._

"Crane," he replied coolly, "or Jien, if you want." His eyes were dark and brown and challenging her, sizing her up, _you're not all bad. _"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mei Ling."

Despite her common sense, Mei Ling let her emotions have a little fun. Maybe he could be fun. "Actually, Jien, the pleasure's all mine."

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_Twenty & twenty-two_

"Don't be such a smartass," Mei Ling snapped at the man sitting beside her, who merely laughed at her biting tone and grinned at her.

"I'm going to regard that as a suggestion," Crane said, "one that I'll kindly listen to but the hell is it going to do anything."

Crane could tell she was trying not to laugh but she lost the battle to herself—warm giggles soon filled the air and he found himself smiling at her. Maybe she'd been a kid to him at first, an annoying one at that—she was too competitive and insulting—but now he actually enjoyed spending time with her. Even if it meant staying up late into the night (their classes no longer allowed time for them to visit with each other) and being weary to the bone the next morning. Her laughter sort of made it worth it.

Except for when she'd get that look in her eyes and abruptly become abrasive. He could only describe it as a deer-in-the-headlights type of expression, with a little bit of horror added in for good measure. Crane hated seeing that look.

"Something wrong?" he asked sweetly enough when she suddenly shot off his shoulder and slid two feet away from him.

"Yes," she snapped at him. Pause. "No." Another pause. "Yes."

"Feeling a little indecisive, aren't we?"

"No," she snapped again. Her face crumpled. "Yes."

"Anything I can help with?" It was a genuine question, even if he was poking her playfully.

He didn't miss the blush the bloomed on her cheeks and quickly raced down her neck. "You could stop touching me, for one," she said as she mercilessly slapped his wing away.

"Y'ouch," he murmured. "Fine. Sorry." Pause. "Anything else?"

"You…" Mei Ling faltered. "You could close your eyes."

Crane had a pretty good idea of what was coming next. He felt a tightening in his throat. "No can do, sweetheart," he said a little stiffly. "Sorry."

"Then stop being a smartass," she recovered instantaneously, and Crane felt his heart break. He squared his shoulders.

"Actually, I changed my mind. Pucker up."

That was all the warning he gave her before leaning in for their first kiss.

.

.

.

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_Twenty-two & twenty-four_

"…you're breaking up with me."

Crane rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah," he said after several long seconds. "I am."

She did everything within her power not to let herself cry. "And why are you doing that?"

He tried to give that award-winning smile, the one she fell for in the first place. She scowled fiercely at him, and the smile dropped with a small thud. Awkward as the day they first met, Crane coughed into his fist. "Because I don't think we're meant for each other," he admitted.

Mei Ling bit her lip. He couldn't be more wrong. The past two years were nothing but bliss. She loved him then and now and a long time before that…

"Okay," she said finally. "I can buy that."

"You…you don't hate me, right?"

That was the strike of the match. "Of course not," she said sourly, "where did you get that idea?"

.

.

.

.

_Twenty-four & twenty-six_

"Hey."

"Hey."

"It's…it's been a while since we last talked."

"It's been a while since you dumped me."

"Oh…heh…right."

"Right."

"…"

"Well?"

"Well…I'm glad we could catch up, Mei Ling. It was nice seeing you."

"You shouldn't lie to me, Crane. You're terrible at it."

"I-I'm sorry…"

"No you're not."

(_let the record show that Mei Ling _did not _cry herself to sleep that night)_

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.

.

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_Twenty-eight & thirty_

Crane glanced up at the girl who lived in the flat above his. Her eyes were red but flaring in that terrifying way they did when she was mad. Normally, Crane would use his charm to work himself out of a situation, but Tigress was no ordinary girl. She would sooner cut off her own tail then fall for his sweet talk.

"You're telling me," she said finally, in an expertly piercing tone, "that you're in love with the girl whose heart you broke six years ago."

He could say no. He could say "gotcha!" and walk away with a bruised arm. Instead, he nodded his head gravely, and felt at a loss for words.

Tigress regarded him silently.

"You're a piece of work," she decided after a moment. "Honestly."

"Does that mean you'll help me?"

Tigress scoffed; "Help you what? Win her back? She's been living six long years without you. I'm sure she'll have better things to do with heart that toss back at the man who shattered it."

With those words, Crane felt his world shatter. "But…" his voice caught in his throat. "I _need _her. Tigress, I…I think I'm in love with her."

"Isn't that what you said when you started dating?"

Crane felt weird admitting it, but he shook his head no anyway. "I never…I was never _in love_ with her. That's why I felt so…distanced. I kissed her when I did because I thought that was what she wanted me to do."

"You were wrong," Tigress told him sternly. She sat beside him, a gentle hand on his bony knee. "She wanted you to love her back."

"Yeah, I know that _now_," Crane nearly spat. "But then I was just a sophomore at a kung fu university. I was in it for the education, I didn't expect the girl, and I didn't particularly want her either."

"But now you do."

"But now I do," Crane agreed. His head was spinning; he'd never been this honest with another person, other then Mei Ling. "I'm sort of an idiot."

"Sort of?" Tigress responded, though her tone was kind, and he knew she was on his side.

.

.

.

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_Thirty & thirty-two_

Mei Ling knew for a fact that she didn't know how to raise a kid. Hell, she couldn't even grow a plant. Yet, when Jun came to her with a bundle in her arms, Mei Ling found herself saying yes when she really meant _"oh my gods what if it dies."_

The relief on Jun's face was thank-you enough.

The little bundle was three now, nearing four and the center of Mei Ling's life.

Hikari had eyes like her mother, like Mei Ling herself. They were a soft gray and always twinkling, like she was always happy or smiling. Mei Ling loved the little girl like she was her own. Even though Jun had never come back for her (and what did Mei Ling expect—for Jun to suddenly switch sides and quit assassinating people? Like Su and Lin would let her) Hikari turned out much better then Mei Ling had hoped for.

In fact, Mei Ling could say her life was great—right up until _he _came again, all smiles and charm, just like before.

Mei Ling had wanted to kill Tigress for setting them up like that. Her old roommate merely smiled at the accusation and shrugged like she was innocent or something. That didn't change the fact that she was staring Crane right in his stupid (wonderful) dark brown eyes, clutching her basket of fruits so hard it was close to breaking.

"I missed you," he said, forgetting Tigress was there completely. Mei Ling backed away, scowling.

"Sure you did. What, did you run out of hearts to break?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Her words hit him like a blow to a face. Crane made a sound like something deflated; his grin vanished and his eyes moistened. "No, it was never like that. I'll admit I was an idiot. To not be madly in love with everything about you…your eyes, your smile, the way you light up when you laugh, the passion you have for what you believe in…"

Stupidly, her heart was beating faster. His words were like soft sweet music she'd be straining to hear for years.

"And stupid me, thinking I was all that," Crane went on, actual tears in his eyes. "Thinking I was too much for someone like you. And I bet you loved me the whole time."

She wanted to nod, speak—do something, but all she could do was stare as his eyes made her knees melt. Dizzy, she stumbled forward, into his arms, into the soothing lull of his words. "I've gotten over myself. I've realized how amazing you are and how much I don't deserve you. Wu Mei Ling, I _love _you with all my heart, and I'm so, so _sorry _that I ever _hurt _you –" He broke off into a despairing sob.

A sob that she comforted with a kiss.

It was slow and sweet and gentle. He cupped her face gently and she dropped her basket, her hands roaming over his arms and toward his neck.

"I'm so sorry, Mei Ling," he stated as they pressed their foreheads together. "I'll never hurt you again, I _swear_, you can dump me on my ass fast as you please if I ever even come close."

"Don't worry." Her voice was steady, despite the pounding of her heart. "I will."

.

.

.

.

_Thirty-two & thirty-four_

Crane had never thought about being a father before.

The six year old Hikaru made him wonder how something so amazing had never crossed his mind.

Her face was round and so were her cheeks; he loved to pinch them until she squealed, giggling madly as Mei Ling looked on from somewhere else. Her fingers were short and pudgy, not great for grabbing things, but he quickly taught her how to be gentle. He legs were stumpy and eager, not great for balancing; a small obstacle he would help her outgrow.

It was crazy, truly, why he never thought he'd want a child.

"Mei Ling," he told her one day, as they sparred together. "Mei Ling, I want to get married."

It was there. Spoken. He could never take it back now.

"Oh good," she said looking a little relieved. "I was about to say the same thing."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

"So we'll get married?"

"If you want to."

"It's that easy?"

"Yes, Jien." She laughed. "It is."

Crane marveled at her for a moment, then cut their match short by hugging her around the waist and lifting her into the air. "I love you!" he said as she looked at him incredulously. He had never been so blunt about his feelings since that day in the marketplace. "You're going to be an _amazing wife_ and I'm going to count the days until I get to marry you—"

"_Shut up,_" griped Mei Ling, "_and kiss me."_

So he obliged.

And, he had to admit, it trumped the kiss in the marketplace by a million times over. Maybe she was only trying to console him that day. Her kisses were nothing alike. That one had been gentle—this one was fierce and hungry and above all, _loving, _like she could never get enough of _him._

He would never, ever let go of her again.

(_and to think, she had loved him the whole time)_


	27. Chapter 27

**Lullabies**.

**Summary: Tigress is selfish for keeping him awake this long. Selfish and desperate. **

**a/n: Wow, it's been so long! Obviously, I'm not as crazy-obsessed with KFP as I used to be, but I'll spit out some stories whenever I feel up to it. **

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><p>Tigress had the night shift.<p>

It wasn't exactly a savored role, but she took the responsibility like an able leader. Frankly, even if she was scheduled for the night shift she would've done it anyway. Shortly before dinner, Crane handed her two bowls, much to her confusion.

"For the night shift," he said. "I know it usually starts after dinner but I though that maybe…you know…" He looked at her hopefully. To Tigress' surprise, she found she understood exactly what he meant.

"I understand. Thank you," she bowed. He smiled at her, but it did little to soothe her—a sadness tinged his eyes.

After that, Tigress balanced the hot bowls of soup in each hand and took the long walk to her station. Tigress always thought on these short trips; she let her mind wander and simply do as it pleased. The results were never really pleasant, and by the end of the walk she had quickened her steps.

Tonight proved no different.

The floorboards creaked beneath her, and as Tigress slid open the paper door to Po's room, she released the breath she had sucked in subconsciously.

Po looked up from his bed, eyes wide and skimming over her. First, they read confusion, but slowly recognition came into them. He gave her a sloppy smile.

"Hello, Tigress."

Tigress did her best to smile back. This was progress, after all; the night before, it had taken him over ten minutes to recognize her.

"Hello, Po. May I sit down?"

Po happily nodded and Tigress pulled the wooden chair forward with her ankle before lowering herself into it. Po watched her the whole time, sloppy grin and happy eyes glistening the whole time. Finally, when Tigress had gotten comfortable, she looked at him again. "How are you?"

"I'm….good." Po nodded with a bit too much enthusiasm. "I'm hungry," he added as an afterthought, as if it had just occurred to him.

"As expected," Tigress said lightly. "I brought you soup."

"Soup…" Po echoed, reaching for the bowl as Tigress handed it to him. He stared at it blankly, jolting when Tigress gently pressed a spoon between his fingers. His brow furrowed at the utensil. Slowly, he stuck it into the bowl and brought it to his lips. He yanked it back out and smiled. "Soup," he said again, delighted at the taste.

"I'm glad you like it," Tigress said. She took a delicate sip from her own bowl, only to discover the very thought of stomaching something made her stomach twist. Her spirits fell as she watched Po try for his next spoonful—repeating the same process he had gone through to get the first.

Suddenly, Po dropped the spoon and gave Tigress an affronted look. "Tigress," he scolded, "Tigress you forgot to ask me how I'm doing."

Rather than tell him that yes, she already did, Tigress did her best to look apologetic. "My apologies, Po. That was rude of me. How are you?"

"I'm good," Po replied, brightening. "I'm good, Tigress, thanks for asking. How are you?"

Shaking, Tigress looked down at the floor. _Terrible,_ she thought, _I will never be okay. I did this to you, it's my fault. You're not okay, Po, nothing is okay anymore._

"I will manage," Tigress said finally, and Po deemed it a good enough answer. He lost interest in her and returned to his soup.

He finished the meal, finally, and handed Tigress the empty bowl, offering a polite thank you. Once she tucked the dish out of sight, he stared at her. "Are you staying with me tonight?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I like it when you stay with me. You make the bad dreams go away," Po said innocently. "I like it when you stay with me.

Tigress stiffened. Her voice was tight when she replied. "Thank you, Po. That's very sweet."

Po didn't respond, and Tigress wasn't expecting him too. He furrows his brow and rubs incessantly at the bandages around his skull. "I don't need these," he pouted. "My head is all healed now, Mantis said so. You can take these off because they itch and I don't like them."

Tigress' chest seemed to collapse within itself. "No, I can't. You still need it." She reached out to place his hand back by his side. His eyes find hers, green and pure and…_soulless_…

"But, but, I don't like it. They make everyone sad." Po jerked his arm back up, again rubbing at the bandages.

And that was what finally got her—Tigress had to turn away because looking at him hurt too much. To think, months ago he had been her best friend, her teammate, all smiles and understand and stupid bravery—and now he was reduced to _this, _a caricature of his true self. If only Tigress had taken that hammer's blow instead, if she'd gotten there in time to stop it from hitting Po's skull, maybe none of this would have happened.

Maybe, when she looked into Po's eyes, she would see the love and trust always swimming in the green, not confusion and loss.

"Are you sad? Did I make you sad?"

Tigress shuddered and composed herself. She turned, face seemingly indifferent. "No, you didn't." Desperate for something else to think about, she supplied, "Are you tired?"

"Yes." Po yawned. "Will you sing for me? I like it when you sing."

"Then I'll sing."

So she sang.

Singing wasn't a talent she liked to flaunt; she wasn't particularly good at it, and the reason why Po enjoyed listened to her so much was lost on her. But it made him happy, and often sent him to sleep with little trouble. So she sang, and made sure to put her heart into it.

Halfway through the song, Po pressed her palm to his face and sighed. He looked so small, so _broken, _and Tigress wondered if she looked the same.

"Tigress," he spoke, with a voice that was truly Po. He shut his eyes, blocking out her stunned expression. "I'm sorry."

"Don't," she hissed. "Don't you _dare_…"

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "Please stay with me. Please."

As tough as she was, Tigress couldn't turn down a plea as pitiful as his. She bent down and kissed his forehead.

"Always," she told him, and Po sighed once more.

"I'm tired," he said into her palm. His voice was so soft she had to strain to hear it. "I'm tired."

Despite what her heart wanted, despite the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, Tigress knew what she had to say.

"Sleep, Po. Sweet dreams."

A ghost of a smile flashed on his lips, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. His chest ceased to rise and fall and all Tigress could do was stare at his lifeless form, too afraid to move her hand away. She sat in silence, a short sob escaping her occasionally, the crushing reality of everything weighing down on her.

"I'm tired too," she said finally, unable to find the will to say anything else.

* * *

><p><strong>story time notes: okay, so time for explanations.<strong>

**In case it wasn't clear, many months before this takes place, Po was hit on the head with a hammer by an enemy. The blow caused permanent damage to his brain. He hardly remembers anyone, even though they've been tending to him for months. Sometimes he does, on good days, he usually repeats himself a lot and speaks simply. He's been holding on to life for Tigress, and when he admits that "he's tired" he's basically asking for his soul to be at peace so he can pass on. **

**This can be seen as romantic, but it's mainly just Po and Tigress needing each other just like always.**

**haha, I hate to come back with some tragedy but I've never really written a broken!Tigress fic and I just wanted to try my hand. **


	28. Chapter 28

**Title**: After the Darkest Night Comes the Brightest Dawn

**Summary**: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, and at the end of the day, they were together.

**A/N: **Because I wanted a teamsnuggle!fic and there was none out there. So I decided to write one. And if any artists out there want to draw this, I'd be delighted. Also to make up for the random amount of angsty chapters.

Hey, I just updated, and this is crazy / I'm sorry for being so sad lately / Forgive me, maybe?

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><p>The morning had actually been nice.<p>

Po had started off their day with a sizeable breakfast that he convinced Master Shifu to share with them. Tigress being, well, herself, was anxious at first—but a few minutes in to light conversation she sent the smallest of smiles in Po's direction, and he nodded in return. Afterwards they meditated – and soon grew bored of that, so they followed Master Shifu to the most beautiful spot on the mountaintop; where birds sang sweetly and the air was crisp, and the largest assortment of flowers Tigress had ever seen grew free. She blinked in bewilderment, and to her surprise Master Shifu chuckled and explained that he had always made sure it stayed hidden from her in her childhood.

Either way, the clearing was gorgeous and she promptly sat cross-legged to listen to whatever story Mantis had gotten Crane to indulge them with. (It was about his school years, specifically the first time he'd sparred someone twice his size and lost brutally, yet it still was entertaining to hear.)

They had spent hours there, enjoying the company of each other, and then Po stopped mid-laugh with wide eyes. He inhaled deeply, then gave the startling announcement, "Something's on fire." When no one reacted, he jumped to his feet and tugged on Tigress' arm. "A _lot _of things are on fire! Don't you smell the smoke? C'mon!" Showing an amount speed no one knew he had, Po charged towards the direction of the Palace.

At that point, the beauty of the day turned into an ugly nightmare.

Sadly, Po had been right. An enormous fire was raging through the village, and a particularly smug group of bandits stood in the midst of it all. Po had reached the scene before any of them. Without breaking his stride, he charged into the leader of the arsonists, screaming a vicious battle cry.

"What's going on?" Crane asked as he stumbled up behind her.

"I'm not su-" Tigress' breath escaped her in a gasp. She watched in horror as Po's anger flared and fueled his fight. "The fire," she said urgently, "we have to stop it."

"Shouldn't we help Po?"

Tigress turned to the simian. "If we keep his father's shop from being burned, we _will _be helping him." Without giving her words time to sink it, Tigress tossed out orders. "Crane, Monkey, find the nearest source of water and carry as much as you can back here. Viper and Mantis – you two start evacuating the villagers." She glanced briefly at Shifu, he nodded, and she told him, "You and I will rescue anyone who is trapped."

They scrambled to fulfill the orders, faster than ever…

But the smoke was thick and the bandits had brought company. Tigress paused in her task to help Po before he got hurt.

The aftermath of everything—the bandit's defeat, the fire's end, brought only bad news.

Po stood emotionless before his father's noodle shop. "You can't find him?" he asked Master Shifu numbly. "Did you look everywhere?"

The master in question was covered in soot; it rolled off his person in clouds has he nodded. "I…I'm sorry, Po."

"Yeah. Yeah, me too." The panda turned away with an unspoken resolution to hold in his tears.

Now it was nighttime. Villagers whose homes had been burned slept fretfully in the streets. Children cried constantly. The masters of the valley had been up the their noses in work—putting out leftover fires, reuniting families, rescuing those trapped in buildings…

Tigress shivered as she pulled her knees to her chest. During the day, the fire had given off a raging heat. Now its absence made the air cold.

She leaned heavily on a charred building's base, praying it wouldn't crumble on her. Monkey collapsed beside her, asleep before he even hit the ground. Viper didn't hesitate to curl close against him; and Crane took a somewhat protective perch beside both of them, never uttering a word. Mantis' usually happy hop had lost its skip, and he shuffled towards Tigress' knee and curled himself against it.

"So tired," he grumbled. "Stupid bandits. Stupid fire. Today could've been awesome."

"Agreed," Tigress whispered. The insect fell asleep shortly after his mutterings. Po caught her attention by sitting next to her. She hadn't been able to see him since they were at the remains of the noodle shop.

Quietly, as to not wake up the rest of the team, Tigress asked if he was alright.

Po looked thoughtful. "I've been better," he decided finally.

"Haven't we all?" Tigress mused. "This was a rubbish day."

"No kidding. I…I just hate thinking about it, you know? My dad's probably alone somewhere, worried sick about me, and I can't find him." Po sounded close to tears. "Wish we could've gotten those bandits before they started the fire."

"No use in pining for the past," Tigress advised. "You should sleep. You look like you need it."

In response Po yawned. Without warning, he slumped against her shoulder. Tigress muffled a yelp of surprise. "Po don't—" then the panda snored loudly, and she knew her argument was in vain. Tigress shifted awkwardly as to make herself more comfortable yet not wake either Po or Mantis.

Po, as if to make her task more difficult, began to drool.

"_Blech_," Tigress hissed.

She heard a soft chuckle. Embarrassed, she looked up and caught Master Shifu's eye. Just how long had he been sitting there? "I did not see you there, Master," she said, trying not to look disgusted by Po's slobber.

"It's alright," Shifu said sagely. "I can see you are…busy with other matters."

Tigress gave a small snort. "Yes. I'm trying to deny the offer of an impromptu saliva-shower…and it's not working."

A gust of cold wind blew. Tigress shivered violently; Po did as well and nuzzled her deeply in his sleep. Monkey rolled, narrowly avoiding Viper, and tucked himself neatly underneath Tigress' arm. Viper, not willing to lose her heat source, followed the primate in a daze. "Don't complain," she warned Tigress sleepily as she coiled herself in the feline's lap. She was asleep before she could hear a reply.

Master Shifu gave her a sympathetic look. "This is better than having them awake, at least. I wasn't expecting any of them to sleep so…"

"Soundly?" Tigress ventured as she experimentally nudged Monkey's head. He mumbled and swatted her paw away. Tigress smiled fondly at him.

"Yes," Shifu agreed with a grin. "…it has been an eventful day. For everyone really, though especially for Po."

As if the panda knew he was the topic for conversation, he twitched suddenly. Tigress didn't get a chance to comfort him; Crane had moved his perch closer to the rest of the group and put a wing on Po's shoulders. Po twitched a final time, then let out a loud, contented snore.

The wind blew again, with more force this time, but Tigress couldn't feel it. She was surrounded by the warmth of her friends, save for one spot by her shoulder…

"It is very cold," she observed quietly, watching Shifu shiver.

"Yes, but I'll manage – "

"Master…" Tigress gestured to the open spot with her chin. "There…is room for you."

Shifu stared at her for several seconds. "I…I couldn't possibly…"

"You wouldn't be much use to us if you froze overnight."

Shifu scowled at her. "Oh, fine," he said finally, quickly scooting towards her. Awkwardly, he rested against her shoulder and was surprised by Viper stretching so her head rested beneath his chin. Tigress raised her eyebrows at him.

"Don't look at me like that," Shifu said defensively.

"Look at you how?"

Shifu scoffed. "_Goodnight_, Tigress," he said pointedly.

Tigress smiled and looked up into the stars. She had half a mind to curse the gods for letting such an awful thing happen to the village, but at the same time, was grateful that they had given her a family like this that could make her feel warm and safe on such an awful night.

"Goodnight," she replied quietly.

She sighed happily and rested her head atop Po's. After a moment, she was vaguely aware that Crane had wrapped his other wing around her and Shifu, but she was much too tired to be certain.

Tigress fell asleep smiling.


End file.
